Masquerade of Illusion
by Rinoa7
Summary: To protect AJ, Skye strikes a deal with a notorious gangster. Her plan spins wildly out of control, and before long every member of Port Charles is involved in a complicated masquerade of illusion. Characters from GH, OLTL, and AMC make an appearance, a
1. Prologue: Invitation to the Masquerade

Disclaimer The usual standard disclaimer- I don't own the characters, and GH characters belong to GH/ABC.  OLTL characters belong to OLTL/ABC, and AMC characters belong to AMC/ABC.  The only character that belongs to me is Rinoa Lockhart.  She's my original creation. Author's Note 

This fic takes place right after the opening of Club 101.  However, AJ and Courtney did not end up going to the hospital, and neither did they run away.

I am a great fan of Skye/Jax, and I also like Nik/Gia, and AJ/Courtney.  I also like Sonny/Alexis and Emily/Zander.  I have very little respect for Liz/Lucky, and, truth be told, I don't really like Liz.  And I don't really like Carly, Kristina, or Ned.  You have been warned J

The theme of this fic is deception/illusion/masquerade.  All characters in this fic, or at least most, will partake in some form of a masquerade/pretense.

The main characters are: Skye, Rinoa, Jax, AJ, Courtney, Nik, Gia, Sonny, Alexis, and Rae.

Feedback is greatly appreciated, so please leave some, good or bad.

Prologue: Invitation to the Masquerade 

Come one, come all

You are all invited to the Masquerade Ball

Will you take a chance

And stay for the dance

Or will you leave before the unmasking begins?

What lurks behind their masks?

A tortured soul, a secret life,

A troubled past, or a hidden strife?

Her name is Skye

And, as many will attest,

She is the Queen of Lies

Jasper Jacks is his name, 

And playing white knight is his game

But can even he protect the Queen of Lies

From the Corinthos family ties?

AJ Quartermaine is the snake in the grass

Or… is that merely his mask?

Courtney Matthews is smitten with him,

And love is what she thinks it is

But is it love, or is it just a whim?

Sonny hates AJ with all his might

But even Sonny cannot win in this fight

Courtney has her own mind,

And, to her, Sonny's only trying to put her in a bind

Alexis is the calm and collected one

But even she can be undone

As Sonny's lawyer, she will defend

But can she fight her feelings to the end?

Nik and Gia are the royal two

And they think they are the ones who shall one day rule

They've been weaving a web of lies

And their friends are starting to catch on

Will this break their royal bond?

And that leaves us with the newest face

She has wit, beauty, and much grace

She is a child of dark, yet a child of light,

She is both wrong and right

She has a secret task,

Will it be uncovered along with her mask?

Come one, come all

You are all invited to the Masquerade Ball

Will you take a chance

And stay for the dance

Or will you leave before the unmasking begins?

What lurks behind their masks?

A tortured soul, a secret life,

A troubled past, or a hidden strife?

******* At the airport… 

            Her entrance into Port Charles was as ordinary and nondescript as any other entrance could have been.  No trumpets announced her arrival, no red carpet was rolled out for her, and no one greeted her at the airport.  She was, as far as the naked eye could see, a normal, common visitor to Port Charles.

            But that was all the naked eye could see, and there was so much that the eye was blind to.

            Certainly, the eye could behold the woman's physical appearance: the brown highlights in the black hair that ran slightly beyond her shoulders; the smooth dark-toned skin; and the dark, mysterious brown eyes that masked her true identity.

            This woman's name was Rinoa Lockhart, and she was the secret, long lost daughter of one of the elite members of Port Charles society.

"Quartermaine, residence," Rinoa commanded softly as she gracefully entered the waiting taxicab.  Rinoa reclined back into her seat, her nose wrinkling delicately.  The seats in this taxicab were rock hard compared to the leather seats of her Mercedes convertible.

            She has waited over two decades to meet her mother.  She has waited on the side, waiting for the perfect time to reveal her existence.  And with her father's disappearance, her grandmother's helplessness, and her younger brother's downward spiral, it had become much too apparent that the time was now.

            Rinoa closed her eyes, and a small smile graced her lips.  Although she has already waited for over twenty years to meet her birth mother, it was an event that Rinoa really didn't care if she had to wait for another two decades.

Rather, she has been waiting, albeit impatiently, for the time when she can finally meet her younger brother.

            _Nikolas._

*******

ELQ Office… 

            Skye pushed the document away from her.  She spun her black leather seat around and looked out the window.  How could she think about business when her beloved brother was knocking on Death's Door?

            "Dumb AJ," Skye muttered.  Neither Courtney nor Michael could be worth Sonny's guaranteed wrath, threats, and harm.  Sonny was certain to retaliate soon, and, with the way things were between her and Jax, she wasn't going to have the luxury of trusting Jax to come to their rescue.

            No, trusting Jax to play the hero would be a foolish thing to do.  And Skye Chandler Quartermaine was no fool.  She was going to have to find a way to protect both herself and AJ on her own.

*******

AJ's Suite… 

            It had started out as an "innocent" seduction.  It had started out as a task to earn and gain Sonny's sister's trust and friendship.  It had started out as a task to steal Sonny's sister from Sonny to teach Sonny a lesson on how it felt to lose that which was most precious to him.

            So where had it gone wrong?  What had happened?

            Simply put, Sonny's sister took on an identity.  Sonny's sister had become more than just Sonny's sister- Sonny's sister was Courtney Matthews, a young woman who was not only Sonny's sister but was someone who actually believed, defended, and liked AJ despite everything she knew about him.  And that made all the difference in the world.

            To reunite with Michael had once been his ultimate goal.  And, although it was still a goal, it was no longer his only one.

            Somewhere along the way, along the path of seduction and temptation, AJ Quartermaine had fallen into his own trap and had started falling in love with Courtney.  She was no longer just a tool to use to reach his goal, but, rather, had become a goal of her own.

AJ didn't want to lose Courtney the way he had lost Michael, and he would be damned before he lost her to Sonny.

*******

At the recording studio… 

            "It's perfect," Kristina crowed.  "Ned, that's the perfect solution for both Alexis and Jax."  Kristina pulled a long strand of red hair away from her eyes.  "Alexis and Jax would be the perfect couple."

            "Wouldn't they?" Ned agreed.  "Sonny's going to break Alexis's heart if she keeps this fantasy of him, and my cousin would do the same to Jax if given the chance."

            Kristina frowned.  Skye and Sonny were definitely two people that she despised.  The two of them had dark auras, and even though Kristina had very little idea of the past that each person had, the fact alone that they had dark auras convinced Kristina that the two of them were bad news.  "I don't know what Jax sees in that viper," Kristina growled, her voice filled with venom.  "And no matter how much Alexis doesn't want to believe it, Sonny's never going to get over Carly."

            "Which is why it'd be best if the two of us help Jax and Alexis find their way back to each other," Ned said with a determined smile.

*******

Wyndemere… 

            Gia nudged the door open with the end of her boot.  She cautiously peered in, careful to not make a noise.

            Liz was lying on her bed, asleep to the world.

            If only her memory would stay that way, too.

            Gia silently stood there in the doorway, wondering just how long it would be before Liz's memory of the night of the accident would return.  When, perhaps if, Liz's memories returned, would she come forth to the world and tell the truth?  Would she tell everyone that it had been Gia, and not Courtney, that had run the red light and had caused the accident?

            _Damn you, Liz._  _Damn Sarah, too.  Damn all the Webber sisters._

            If it hadn't been for Sarah, Gia wouldn't have been upset and have allowed the alcohol to impair her so much.  If it hadn't been for Sarah, Gia and Liz wouldn't have been arguing and Gia would have seen the red light.  If it hadn't been for Liz, they Gia wouldn't even have been on that road at that time.

            But there was nothing Gia could do to change the past.  And there was nothing she could do to prevent Liz's memory from returning. All Gia and Nikolas could do was wait and hope.


	2. Chapter 1: Family Ties

Chapter 1: Family Ties Quartermaine Estate… 

            Edward Quartermaine has not been having a good day.  In fact, he hasn't been having a good week, a good month, or a good year.  His granddaughter Emily, although not blood related, had been sent away for her own protection.  Another granddaughter, Skye, had entered his life and had literally made his life a living Hell.  She lied, manipulated, twisted and stole ELQ from him.  He had been ostracized by his family when he had tried to extract revenge against the twisted granddaughter and her younger brother, and had even been at the receiving end of precious Lila's displeasure.  It wasn't until the heart attack that he had been taken back into the family fold, and, although Skye was still not welcomed to live at the household, Edward simply wasn't satisfied.

            Skye was the CEO of ELQ, and he was nothing.

            And he didn't have to be nothing.  Lila, his wife, now possessed the power to determine the CEO of ELQ.  His wife now had the power to strip Skye of her position and return Edward to his rightful place.

            But Lila had done nothing of the sort.  Skye's power and position at ELQ had remained, and nothing Edward had said to his wife had convinced her to change the hierarchy at ELQ.

            But, despite Lila's refusal to remove Skye from her position, Edward was determined to see to it that Skye was taken down, and that he was her replacement.  ELQ had been his creation, and _no one_, especially an impertinent upstart like Skye Chandler Quartermaine, was going to keep ELQ from him.

*******

Outside the Quartermaine estate… 

            Rinoa slowly counted to a hundred.  She took several deep breaths.  She clasped her hands together and then stretched them, starting from the front of her body, then up high into the sky, and, finally, behind her back.  It was time for her Oscar winning performance to begin.

            With an innocent and hopeful look glued onto her face, Rinoa knocked on the door.  She was nothing more than a long lost daughter seeking out her roots.  Nothing more, and nothing less.

            It was an agitated, old man that answered the door.  Rinoa recognized him from the pictures as Edward Quartermaine, the dethroned CEO of ELQ.  She shared no blood with this man, and that was fine with Rinoa.

            Edward glared grumpily at the young woman in front of him.  It had been bad enough Skye had haunted his sleep the previous night, and that for the entire morning he had been obsessed with the thought of purging his life of Skye.  But now?  Where was Reginald or Alice?  Why hadn't either one of them, or any of the other staff members at the mansion, answered the door?  "Well, what do you want?" he asked crabbily.

            "I'm looking for Monica Bard Quartermaine… does she live here?" Rinoa asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.  She knew perfectly well that Monica lived here, but the plan was to feign innocence and ignorance.  Rinoa wanted the upper hand in this relationship, and getting those around her to underestimate her couldn't possibly hurt.

*******

Skye's suite… 

            "Look, Courtney's waiting for me," AJ told Skye.  "So can you hurry it up?  If you want to apologize for locking me up in the closet, then go ahead and apologize."

            "I am _not_ going to apologize for trying to save your life," Skye snapped back irritably.  "I will, however, try to talk some sense in to you.  AJ, you can't continue using Courtney like this.  What Zander did last night was just the beginning.  They'll draw more blood next time, you'll be sent to the hospital or maybe something even worse!  You're playing with fire, AJ, and you're going to get burned."

            "Hey," AJ said in a wounded, offended tone, "have some faith in your younger brother.  I know exactly what I'm doing and there is no way Sonny's going to do anything to hurt me.  Didn't you see the way Courtney yelled at him last night?  If he does anything else to me, Courtney will tear him out of her life for good.  Sonny is not going to risk that."

            "If you keep pushing Sonny," Skye retorted, "he'll force you out of her life for good.  You'd be buried in cement before the next sunrise."

            AJ wagged his finger triumphantly.  "And that's where you're wrong, Skye.  Sonny had the perfect chance to kill me without any witnesses, but he let me go.  He can't touch me, Skye.  He can't set me up for an accident, and he can't have me murdered.  Courtney would know Sonny was involved if I got hurt.  And he doesn't want to lose Courtney, Skye.  I, we, have Sonny exactly where we want him- at our mercy."

            Skye shook her head.  "Sonny won't allow this to continue, AJ.  You know it, and I know it.  He will sacrifice Courtney's love if only to have you permanently leave her side.  In Sonny's eyes, cleansing her from your influence is worth her eternal hatred for him, AJ.  And I don't have the power to protect you, AJ.  As much as I wish I could say I did, I just don't."  Skye looked away.  "I used to have it, but it- he left.  And there is no way he's going to come back and help us if- when- Sonny comes after us."

            AJ's expression softened.  He had always suspected that his sister had harbored stronger feelings for the Aussie than she admitted.  "I don't need you or Jax to protect me, Skye.  Never have and never will."  And, if AJ had his way, he'd be the one to protect Skye from the deviled charm of Jasper Jacks.

            "Sonny won't allow it," Skye lamented again.  "AJ, Courtney and Michael are not worth it.  No one's worth losing your life for, AJ."

            "How would you know?" AJ demanded gruffly.  "You've never even met Michael, Skye.  But I'm going to change all that.  I'm going to win everything, Skye, just you watch.  I'm going to end up with both Courtney and Michael, and there won't be anything that Sonny can do to stop it."

            "He'll just kill you.  And me," Skye added coldly.  "He'll kill the two of us without blinking an eye.  Is that what you want, AJ?"

            "He won't kill us," AJ smirked.  "Since when did you get so melodramatic, Skye?  I swear you were never this bad before."

            "I am not being melodramatic," Skye retorted.  "I'm telling the truth."

            AJ shrugged his shoulders.  "What you believe is the truth," he corrected her.  "And that's something I don't agree with you.  If you really think that Sonny's going to do something, then go run to Jax and tell him.  Tell him that you're against me, and that you've tried to reason with me, but that I refuse to listen and you're at your wit's end.  Tell Jax that you're afraid that Sonny's going to come after you because he thinks it's only fair since I have his sister, and that you need him to protect you."  AJ smirked.  "It's a pretty good idea, don't you think?  Jax will come running back to play knight in shining armor."

            Skye grimaced slightly.  Somehow, she doubted that AJ's prediction would come true.  For Jax to come running back, he'd first have to trust her.  And that was something that Skye simply didn't have anymore- Jax's trust.  But that was something Skye was determined to rectify- she just needed some time to earn it back.

            "Forget Jax," the words tumbled out of Skye's mouth.  Jax was her concern and not AJ's.  "We're talking about you, AJ, and about what Sonny's going to do to you."

            "What he won't do to me," AJ countered.  "He can't and he won't."

*******

Quartermaine Estate… 

            "I still don't see why Lila doesn't give Edward control of ELQ again," Monica said brusquely to her husband.  "Skye couldn't possibly be better than Edward at running ELQ."

            "Skye is a very capable young woman," Alan said defensively.  Although he wasn't always proud or approving of Skye's actions, he was damned proud of his daughter's success at running ELQ so far.

            "She's capable of lying and manipulating," Monica said viciously, her eyes flashing with hatred.  "And that's all I'll ever have to say about her."

            _I wonder what my father was thinking when he chose her. He couldn't possibly have been in love with her.  He was in love with another blond… my younger brother's mother._

            Edward cleared his throat.  His eyes danced with mischief.  "Monica, Alan, please, take a seat."

            Monica rolled her eyes.  What right did Edward have to offer her a seat when this was her home, not his?  "This had better be good, Edward," Monica growled. "I canceled a hospital board meeting for this."

            "Oh, it'll be good," Edward promised vaguely.  "Rinoa, my dear, why don't we take a walk around the garden until the rest of the family shows up?"

            Monica turned her suspicious glare from Edward over to the unfamiliar new girl.  What new plan had Edward schemed up now?

            Rinoa shook her head slightly.  "I want to stay here and talk to them," Rinoa whispered to Edward.  "That woman's my mother, Edward, and she and I have over twenty years of catching up to do."

            "Trust me, my dear," Edward patted Rinoa's arm gently, "it'll be best if we wait for the entire family to be together.  We're a tight-knit group, and whenever something happens to one of us, we all want to know."  Edward smiled charmingly at the young woman.  Of course, they all wanted to know so that each person could take advantage of the other's bad luck, but that was something Edward didn't feel he had to tell to Rinoa.

            "If you say so," Rinoa nervously smiled back.  She accepted Edward's offered arm and, together, the two of them left the main room.

            "Hundred bucks says she's Edward's new plan to get ELQ back," Monica said as soon as Edward and Rinoa left the room.

            "If he hasn't seduced her," Alan muttered, his mind briefly recalling the image of Janine Matthews.

*******

Jax's room… 

            "Look, I said no," Jax repeated, "and my answer isn't going to change even if you ask me a thousand times more."

            "And why not?" Ned demanded.  "Alexis is your friend, isn't she?  Shouldn't her happiness mean something to you?"

            "I am not going to trick her into thinking I have feelings for her when I honestly don't," Jax shot back.  "And why?  Cause she's my friend and her feelings do mean something to me."

            "So you're just going to let Sonny break her heart.  You're just going to sit back and let Sonny destroy her life the way he destroyed the lives of everyone else?" Ned yelled.  "The Jax I know wouldn't let his friends, let alone his ex-wife-"

            "We were married under special circumstances," Jax interrupted.  "We weren't in love with each other."

            "Ah!" Ned exclaimed, holding up his index finger.  "The two of you weren't in love with each other, but the two of you definitely loved each other.  And the two of you still do.  Now, are you going to let Alexis, another person you love, get hurt by Corinthos?"

            Jax frowned.  That had been a low blow by Ned, and Ned knew it.

            "Besides," Ned added, "I'm also asking this for you."

            "For me?"

            "I want you to do this favor for me and Kristina so that we can save Alexis from Sonny, and so that we can save you from Skye," Ned said, point-blank.

*******

Alexis's place… 

            "Really, Alexis, Ned and I are scared for Jax.  You were too busy last night restraining Sonny from attacking AJ to see it, but Ned and I saw it," Kristina told her older sister.

            "Skye Quartermaine is a crazy stalker and is stalking Jax?" Alexis said, a disbelieving smile on her face.  "Kristina, that's ridiculous.  Skye is out there, I'll grant you that, but she isn't a stalker."

            "But you didn't see her last night!" Kristina insisted.  "The woman was obsessed, Alexis.  She kept following Jax, and she kept trying to talk to him even though it was obvious he didn't want anything to do with her- it was pathetic.  And, and, it was kind of scary the way she was acting."

            "Jax is not in danger from the crazy stalker Skye," Alexis reassured her sister.  Alexis couldn't help but roll her eyes as she spoke the words.

            "But stalkers are insane," Kristina persisted.  "And unless we send Skye a clear signal that she has to give up on Jax, she's going to get worse and worse and then, well…"

            "Well what?" Alexis suppressed a grin.  Kristina certainly had a knack of playing the drama queen.

            "One day Skye is going to go ballistic and she's going to hunt him down and kill him because if she can't have him, then no one can," Kristina sputtered.  "And Jax's death will be all your fault because you could have helped prevent it, but you chose not to.  Alexis!  I'm serious, stop laughing!"

            Alexis's body shook with laughter as Kristina gave her argument.  "Kristina, that's absurd.  First of all, I highly doubt Skye would go that far.  Secondly, Jax is a _very_ capable man and I'm sure he can defend himself if Skye ever decided to attack him."

            "But Jax is a man," Kristina exploded.  "And he's got this silly notion of protecting all women, even snakes like Skye Quartermaine.  Shouldn't we, because Jax is our friend who's helped us so many times before, help him now when he needs it?"

            "I don't hear Jax asking us for our help."

            "Oh, fine," Kristina took a step back away from her sister and leveled her gaze at Alexis.  "We'll just wait until Skye comes up with another crazy lie about Sonny threatening her so that Jax will get re-entangled in her web of lies once again.  Is that what you want, Alexis?  For one of our best friends to live a yoyo of a life with a crazy barracuda piranha woman?"

            "A yoyo of a life?" Alexis frowned.

            "So maybe I did exaggerate," Kristina conceded.  "Skye's not a stalker- not yet.  But she shows symptoms of becoming one.  And I refuse to stand by on the side and watch Jax's generosity be exploited over and over again by that heartless piranha.  But Ned and I can't do anything on our own.  We've tried, but Jax has deaf ears when we try to talk to him about Skye."

            "Well, for the record, I haven't had much success in convincing him that Skye isn't good for him, either," Alexis informed her sister.

            "What Jax needs," Kristina implored, "is to be reminded that there are other women out there.  Women who are a hundred times better than heartless piranhas like Skye Quartermaine.  And, you, Alexis, are the perfect candidate for doing just that."

            "And why am I the perfect candidate?" Alexis sighed.

            "Because Jax happens to think you're in need of rescuing.  And, as we all know, Jax has a soft spot for women like that," Kristina pointed out.

            "And just what do I need protection from?" Alexis asked.

            "From Sonny," Kristina answered.  "From getting your heart broken by Sonny."

*******

Later that day… 

_Quartermaine Estate…_

            "About time," Monica growled as Ned entered the room.  "What took you so long?"

            "I have a life, Monica," Ned said with a pleased grin, "and, as of two hours ago, it's looking pretty good right now."

            _Ned Ashton.  Record business or something, I forget.  The former fiancé of Alexis Davis and the current beau of Kristina Cassadine.  Very possibly he will become my uncle if he ever decides to marry either one of my aunts.  What a disgusting notion._

            "Good, we're all here," Edward said excitedly, his hands rubbing against each other in apt anticipation.  "It took us a few hours to all get here, but the important thing is that we're all here together."

            "Get on with the show, Grandfather," Skye said, her voice filled with sarcastic contempt.  "Unlike you, I have a business to run."

            _Ooh- I like her.  She's snappy and won't take any bull from her family.  Skye Chandler Quartermaine- current CEO of ELQ and daughter of Alan Quartermaine and Rae Cummings.  Like me, she was a long lost daughter and she only entered Port Charles as of last spring.  She caused quite a stir with her arrival, stirring up a bee's nest or however it is that saying goes.  Monica hated her the most- how would she react to me being her long lost daughter?  How will her husband react when he finds out I was the product of a secret affair?_

            Edward ignored his granddaughter's venom-filled comment.  "Rinoa, my dear, why don't you introduce yourself to the family?"

            The Quartermaines wearily turned their eyes towards the stranger.  Edward had used many tricks in the past, and, no doubt, Rinoa was the newest one.

            "My name is Rinoa Lockhart," Rinoa said nervously.  Seemingly unconsciously, Rinoa began to twirl her hair with her fingers.  "And I'm, um, Monica's daughter."

            Edward smiled gleefully.  Let the backlash begin.  He turned away from Rinoa and eagerly watched Monica's look of suspicion turn to one of horror.


	3. Chapter 2: Family Inquisition

Chapter 2: Family Inquisition 

            "Yeah, right, and I'm Santa Claus," AJ mocked.

            "Well, then, Santa Claus, it's a pleasure to meet you," Skye said to AJ as she turned towards him, bowing slightly.  "I'm the Tooth Fairy."  A huge grin grew on the Quartermaine siblings' faces.

            "That's impossible," Alan announced.  "There is no way Monica can be your mother."  Rinoa was young- in her early or mid twenties.  That would make her several years younger than both AJ and Skye, and thus Rinoa would have been borne while Monica and Alan had been married.  Although Alan's and Monica's marriage had been anything but stable, and they had both had children out of wedlock with different people, Alan was certain that Monica could not possibly have been pregnant with Rinoa, let alone give birth to her.

            The room was abuzz with chatter.  Skye and AJ were too busy mocking Edward and his obviously failed scheme, while Rinoa was busy trying to explain her side of the story and how everything she was saying was indeed the pure truth.  Edward kept expressing his belief that Rinoa was telling the truth, and he also kept insisting that Rinoa was _not_ his newest plot to gaining power in the family.  Alan went back and forth from demanding answers from the seemingly flustered Rinoa while Ned sat down on a chair and laughed loudly at the three-ringed circus before him.

            The only person in the room who wasn't making any type of noise was Monica.

            Monica stared at Rinoa in shock.  Could it be?  Could the baby she had thought had died actually be the young woman standing before her right this very instant?  Rinoa certainly did resemble the one who would have been her father.  She had darkish colored skin, almost olive-colored.  Her hair was dark, and her facial structure resembled that of Stavros Cassadine.  Or was it just her mind playing tricks on her eyes?

            _That's right, Mother dearest.  Stare at me all you want and see the truth within me for yourself.  I'm your daughter, like it or not, and there's nothing you can do to change it.  Question is, are you going to shun me the way you did to Skye or are you going to accept me with open arms?_

            "Monica, this can't be true, can it?" Alan demanded gently from his wife.  Alan was sure that Rinoa couldn't be Monica's daughter, but… Monica's stunned silence and inability to utter a single syllable led Alan to believe that the impossible may actually be true.

            Rinoa studied Alan carefully.  He was the chief of staff at General Hospital, and the current husband of her biological mother.  "Is he my father?" Rinoa asked Monica, although she already knew the answer.  

            "Grandfather, this has got to be the lamest attempt yet to regain ELQ," Skye chided Edward.  "What in the world could bringing in Monica's _daughter_ do to help you gain the upper hand, anyway?"

            "I am not trying to pull anything," Edward said huffily.  "This young woman came by this morning, and she told me she was Monica's daughter.  What was I to do?  Turn her away?  If there was anyone I should have turned away, it should have been you."

            Ned stared at Rinoa curiously.  If she did turn out to be Monica's daughter, which in no way made her into a Quartermaine, then would she turn out to be like the manipulative, lying Skye?

            "I am Monica's daughter," Rinoa declared.  "I'll take any blood test or DNA test to prove it."

            "Monica?" Alan prodded gently.  If Rinoa was Monica's daughter, which, with every passing minute seemed to hold more and more possibility of being true, then who was her father?  It couldn't have been him, for Rinoa's dark skin betrayed her father's heritage.  And if Rinoa was Monica's daughter, then that led to the question of just whom did Monica have an affair with?

            "If you really are Monica's daughter," Ned asked, "then where have you been all this time?"

            "I was switched at birth," a sad and tortured smile dawned onto her lips.  "And it wasn't until very recently that I discovered that my parents couldn't have been my biological parents."  Rinoa looked down and focused her energy on playing the abandoned, desolate newcomer.  "I returned to the hospital I was born in and traced back all the possible women who could have been my mother."

            "And that's when you were led to Monica?" Skye asked, disbelief dripping from her every word.  "You can't be serious."

            "And you don't know who your father is?" Monica cut in, before Rinoa could defend herself against Skye.  If the identity of Rinoa's father remained a secret, then it would be one less thing to worry about.  "No idea at all?"

            "I was hoping you would tell me," Rinoa said as she looked up.  She bit her lower lip softly.  "You do know who my father is, don't you, mother?"

            "You can't be AJ's younger sister," Skye said to Rinoa.  "Everyone here would know if Monica had another child, and look at them.  We all know she didn't have another child."

            _What lie did you tell your family?  How'd your pregnancy escape your husband's and everyone else's notice? _

            "Mom?" Rinoa asked helplessly.  "I am your daughter, aren't I?  I've searched too long and too hard to be told that I'm not your daughter."

            Monica was positive that the DNA test would prove Rinoa to be her daughter.  Monica was positive that all investigative work would yield the same answer: the hospital staff at Salem had been sloppy and both she and Rinoa had been victims to a baby switch.

            "Is it true?" AJ spoke up, his face wrinkled into deep thought.  "Is this woman my sister?"  He had nothing against Rinoa, he honestly didn't.  And although the idea had originally struck him as insane, the more AJ thought about it, the more he liked the idea of being Rinoa's older brother.  Although he and Skye had started out on rocky terms, Skye had turned out to be a blessing.  And there was no reason to believe that Rinoa also wouldn't be a blessing the way Skye was.  Hell, successfully bonding with a new, long-lost sister was something that would undoubtedly earn him extra points with Courtney.

            _AJ Quartermaine.  Family disgrace and drunk.  But my link to Courtney.  Whatever you do, Rinoa, make friends with him and Courtney._

            "And you would be my brother?" Rinoa asked, the picture of ignorance and innocence.  Rinoa's lips curved into an excited smile.  "I've always wanted an older brother."

            "This is too much," Ned chuckled.  The Heavens were smiling down on him, for sure.  First he and Kristina had been successful in getting Jax and Alexis to agree to go on a double date with him and Kristina.  Kristina's singing career was starting to show some real promise.  And now this- the hilarity of life at the Quartermaines at its fullest.  "Monica, just answer the girl's question.  Are you or are you not her mother?"

            All eyes turned towards Monica.

            Monica sighed deeply.  She had suffered several months of depression after her baby's death.  But she had gotten over it, and had even eventually accepted the child's death as a blessing, for it had given her an automatic escape from accepting responsibility for the child.  And the baby's death had released her from the burden of admitting to Alan and the rest of the Quartermaines that she had an affair with another man.

            Monica gravely walked up to Rinoa.  She picked up Rinoa's two hands and held them lovingly in her own hands.  "I don't doubt you are my daughter, for I see your father within you."

            _She's not going to say my father's name, is she?!  She wouldn't, especially since my father isn't well liked by anyone in Port Charles._

            "But, just the same," Monica continued, her voice filled with gravity, "even though I believe that you are indeed my daughter, we will need to run DNA tests to make sure."

            _Of course.  You wouldn't let Skye live here without taking one, so you have to force me to a test, too._

            "I'll take the test whenever you want," Rinoa told the Quartermaines.  "I'll go to the hospital right now and we can start taking tests."

            "You're _serious_?!" Skye gasped.  Monica was actually acting as if this Rinoa creature was her daughter!

            "We'll go right now," Monica decided.  "And I'll put a rush order on our tests, so we should be able to know for sure by the end of the day." 

*******

After Monica and Rinoa leave… 

            "Skye, do you have any idea what this means?" AJ whispered to his sister, his voice filled with enthusiasm.  "What it would mean to have a new sister?"

            "What?" Skye asked.  She looked worriedly towards her father.  How was he handling the news that Monica had another affair during their marriage and had, as a result, borne another child? Rae had conceived her prior to Alan and Monica's marriage, and so Skye's arrival into Port Charles shouldn't have hurt Monica as much as Rinoa's existence and arrival ought to hurt Alan.

            "If Rinoa and I bond and she and I end up sharing a great relationship," AJ said with a devilish grin, "then Courtney will see Sonny as a failure and a loser _again_.  Courtney's feelings for me will increase a hundred times more when she sees my new younger long-lost sister and I bond."

            "Hooray," Skye said sarcastically.  She weakly pumped her hands into the air.  Why couldn't AJ even consider the way their father must feel about this newest betrayal?

            "I'm going to call Courtney and ask her to come over right now," AJ said with a gleeful grin.  "I'm going to ask her to help me and Rinoa bond.  Courtney's going to eat this up."  Proving to Courtney that he was a superior brother than Sonny would only cement her growing feelings of love towards him.

            "Well, good luck," Skye wished her brother half-heartedly.  She had accepted the fact that she couldn't dissuade AJ from pursuing this relationship with Courtney, and she would stand behind him when he wanted or needed her support.

            Skye rubbed her forearms unconsciously.  Her father seemed to be in a lot of pain, and Edward was doing nothing to soothe his son's pain.  Ned, meanwhile, was busy talking on the phone.  Undoubtedly he was telling _Katrina_ of the arrival of yet another long lost daughter to Port Charles.

            Skye studied her father silently.  How should she approach him?  Make fun of Monica and her position and remind her father about the harassment Monica had put her through when she had first entered Port Charles?  Tell her father that her own love life was going nowhere?  Well, that wasn't likely.  Tell her father that she was sorry and hoped that he could prove how mature he was by accepting Rinoa with open arms when Monica hadn't been able to do the same to her?

*******

General Hospital… 

            _Twittering simp.  Pathetic excuse of a mother.  Bane of my existence, root of every single flaw within me._

            "So… what were your parents like?" Monica asked awkwardly.  How Alan managed to bond with Skye, Monica had no idea.  But, thank God that Rinoa did not seem as angry and hateful as Skye had been.

            "The Lockharts?  They were wonderful," Rinoa said softly.  "They passed away recently, and, since then, I've been searching for you."  _And if you hire some detectives to do some snooping, they'll give you the same information I just fed you._

            "How long did they know that you weren't their daughter?  When did they tell you?" Monica asked, filling in the silent void.

            "Last year when my mom got sick and we had to look for a bone marrow match," Rinoa continued softly in her voice.  "That was when we found out that there was no way I could have been the daughter of my mother.  But we didn't have time to explore the reasons why because mother was so sick.  We couldn't find a match, and she passed away quickly.  And then father became lost without her and he followed her shortly thereafter."

            "Oh, I'm sorry," Monica said uneasily.  She looked down at her hands, and feeling at unease, began to twist her hands around each other.  Her wedding ring caught her eye, and the broken vows she had made to Alan swept throughout her mind.

            "If you do turn out to be my mother," Rinoa spoke up, "and I'm sure this is what the test will tell us, will you tell me who my father is?"  This was a test- would Monica tell the truth or would she lie through her teeth?

            "Your father passed away," Monica said firmly.  The small trace of hatred and venom within Monica's voice was not lost on Rinoa.

            "Who was he?"  _Can't you even say my father's name?  Do you hate him that much?_

            "No one important," Monica lied.  "And he was a mistake, someone I ran to for comfort and love when my marriage with Alan- my husband – was going through troubled times."

            _It was a mistake for my father to seek solace in a woman like you.  You were lucky someone like my father chose to give you a second glance._

            "Did my father know about me?" Rinoa asked, her eyes boring a hole into Monica's eyes.  "Did he know that you had a child with him?"

            "No, he didn't," Monica said grimly, a tight-lipped smile on her face.  "And I wouldn't have had it any way."

            Rinoa forced her look of anger and hatred away.  What right did Monica have to say these things about her father?  Monica was the one who didn't deserve to know the existence or identity of her child.  Monica was the one who shouldn't be trusted with the responsibility to raise children.

            "I'll find a way to get the others to accept you as my daughter," Monica promised Rinoa.  "I will warn you, though, to stay away from Skye, the red-headed one.  She's bad news, Rinoa, and it was a sad day for Port Charles when she first moved here."

            _If you despise Skye that much, I have a feeling Skye and I will become the best of friends._


	4. Chapter 3: Shattered Dreams

**Chapter 3: Shattered Dreams**

Port Charles Grille… 

            "Here, you go, my dear," Edward said gallantly as he pulled a seat out and motioned for Rinoa to sit.  "Why don't you sit by me?"

            "I don't think so," Skye scoffed.  "Rinoa, let me tell you something about this man.  He might seem nice and friendly, and like the perfect grandfather, but he's not- it's all an act.  The man's a vicious old goat who'd sell a baby if the price was high enough."

            Edward glared at Skye.  "That was in the past, and I've changed since then!"

            _Changed into an even more deceitful old man._

            Rinoa smiled sweetly at Edward.  "Thank you, Edward, but I think I'll sit by my mother and brother, if you don't mind."  _I have to get to know Courtney and get her to trust me._

            "Well, as long as you're not sitting by Skye," Edward huffed.

            Skye returned Edward's sneer of contempt with a sneer of her own.

            "AJ, are you sure it's alright that I'm here with you all?" Courtney whispered softly into AJ's ear.  "Shouldn't this be a private family thing?"

            "Aww, don't worry about it," AJ reassured Courtney.  "Besides, when you get right down to it, Skye, grandfather and dad aren't even related to Rinoa.  So long as they're welcome to the dinner, so are you."

            _Courtney is just like you, Rinoa.  She's a newcomer to Port Charles, and, upon her arrival here, was reunited with her father.  That's just like how I was reunited with Monica.  Courtney met an older brother she never knew she had just like how I met an older brother I never knew I had.  Courtney's trying to forge a life here just like how I'm trying to forge a life here.  She's caught in the crossfire between her brother and AJ just like how I plan to be caught in the crossfire between Edward and AJ.  Courtney and I ought to hit it off because we're both in the same situation._

            Courtney slid into the seat AJ had pulled out for her.  "Thanks," Courtney beamed at AJ.

            Rinoa hid a smirk as AJ pulled out a seat on the other side of his seat and motioned for Rinoa to sit down.

            "Thank you, AJ," Rinoa said appreciatively.  She slid into the seat beside AJ, and watched with feigned happiness as Monica took the other seat beside Rinoa.

            _What a fun night this is going to turn out to be.  Edward sitting across my way will be harping about how he built ELQ out of nothing and how an unnamed family member stole it from him.  Skye will counter by talking about senile old men who cheat on their innocent wives.  Alan will tell the two of them to can it.  Monica will keep reminding me that I am not a Quartermaine and that I do not share blood with either Skye or Edward.  AJ will keep trying to smother me with loving brotherly attention, and Courtney's too far away from me to have some nice girl chat with._

            "I can't believe they followed us here," Courtney said, her voice filled with disgust.  With her index finger, Courtney pointed at a dark corner of the restaurant.

            _Sonny Corinthos- the infamous gangster brother and the new rising enemy to my little brother.  And that makes him my enemy too._

"You'd think Sonny would have learned by now that I am not going to stop seeing you just because he _orders_ me to," Courtney seethed.  She defiantly turned away from Sonny and Carly.  "If they have nothing better to do with their lives, then fine.  They can stalk us as much as they want, but I refuse to be intimidated by them."

            AJ chuckled softly.  "Me neither," he agreed.  He smiled warmly at the spying, protective older brother and his ex-wife.  He waved towards them in the friendliest manner that he could muster.  He had to play the role of the mature, better guy perfectly.

            Rinoa watched this entire exchange with great interest.  According to her sources, there was no love lost between AJ and Sonny.  Supposedly, Carly had lost her and Sonny's unborn baby during a fight with a drunken AJ.  Why Carly would argue and fight with a drunken AJ, Rinoa had no idea, although her sources believed that the death of the unborn baby had been more Carly's fault than AJ's.  But, still, AJ had been given the entire blame for the death of the unborn baby.

            "I'm so hungry," Rinoa said perkily.  She opened her menu and looked at its contents.  "What do you guys suggest I order?"

*******

Hotel lobby… 

            "I can't believe they're doing this to us," Alexis sighed.  "This is a set-up, Jax.  You know it, and I know it."

            Jax tucked his cell phone into his jacket's pocket.  "Well, Alexis, there's not much we can do about it, is there?"

            "We could go to the studio right now, catch them in the act of _faking_ a business emergency, and then drag their sorry behinds with us back here for dinner," Alexis growled.  She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.  "You know, this is just like them.  To do something so transparent, so obvious, so annoying… I really think we should confront them and tell them we're on to their little scheme."

            Jax chuckled softly to himself.  "Just what did Kristina say to you to convince you to this double date?  Because if it's anything like what Ned said to me, then you should have been onto their plan from the very beginning."

            One of Alexis's eyebrows cocked upwards.  An embarrassed smile popped onto her face.  "I'm guessing they gave you the same story that they gave me."

            "Go out with Alexis to save her from Sonny," Jax said with a grin.

            "And they asked me to help you free yourself from Skye's clutches," Alexis smirked.  "And, of course, who was I to turn down such an offer?"

            "Your feelings about Skye, right.  And my feelings about Sonny and how he's not good enough for you-"

            "You mean not good at all," Alexis corrected.  Alexis chuckled.  "So what do we do from here, Jax?  You know as well as I do that this date is a sham."

            Jax shrugged.  "Well, so long as we both know that nothing will result, and so long as we keep the trash talking about the respective person we were supposed to replace, then I say we enjoy our night out."

*******

Courtney… 

            I can't believe Sonny had the gall to follow me here.  I mean, who does he think hr is?!  My keeper?!  He treats me like I'm his dog, and like I'm on a leash or something.  I can't see my father, I can't see AJ, I can't do this, I can't do that!  God!

            Ugh- and he's with Carly, of all people.  That woman is so transparent.  I can't believe my _omnipotent_ brother hasn't yet seen Carly for the creature she really is.

            How can Sonny see evil in AJ and not in Carly?  AJ's a saint compared to that witch Carly.  AJ… look at him and how he treats his sister Rinoa.  It's so sweet!  Why couldn't Sonny be like that?  Why does Sonny have to treat me like a pet, like something he has to control and order around?

*******

AJ… 

            I hope Sonny's getting a good view of all this.  First, Courtney reached out and held my hand, not the other way around.  Sure, she probably did that in spite.  Well, at least partly in spite.

            Normally, I would have asked Courtney to dance.  But Rinoa's the new girl in town, and I have to play the protective older brother with her.  First take her out to the dance floor, look for suitable guys to be with her, and then ask Courtney to dance.

            And then it hits me.  It hits me as Rinoa and I are walking to the dance floor.  I look over my shoulder and back towards the table.  Courtney is smiling at us- she's happy to see me treating my sister with respect.  But then I look past our table to the one beyond it.  Sonny's got his eyes trained on Rinoa.

            He has to know who Rinoa is.  Unlike Courtney, whose family ties had been kept under wraps because of Sonny's enemies, Rinoa's family ties have been announced in the newspapers and the news.  Sure, the Quartermaines had their enemies, but no one crazy enough to attack the newest member of the family.  And Rinoa wasn't even a Quartermaine, if one became technical about it.  There was no reason to hide Rinoa's heritage, unlike for Courtney.

            And that meant that Sonny knew who Rinoa was.  That meant that Sonny knew that Rinoa was my long lost younger sister.  And that Rinoa was in the same situation Courtney had been, and still is.  Except Rinoa and I were obviously on good terms, while the tension between Sonny and Courtney was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

            Would Sonny take advantage of Rinoa the way I had had taken advantage of Courtney?  My feelings for Courtney, as much as I'd hate to admit, have been growing stronger and truer.  Would Sonny try to steal my sister and seduce her away the way I had originally planned with Courtney?  Would he succeed as I have succeeded?

            I don't want my sister to fall for Sonny.  But Sonny has this dangerous aura about him; kind of like a rebel without a cause.  Except darker and more dangerous.  And girls can't resist it.

            Emily fell for the wrong guy.  He was beneath the Quartermaines, but that was the one she had set her heart on.  And look where it had taken her- a one-way trip to some secluded spot to hide from Sorel's goon.  Zander was the original rebel without a cause, and Sonny's the seasoned, darker, older version of Zander.

            Skye had fallen for the heroic white knight.  And look where that led her.  Or where it had left her.  Despite all my warnings about Jax, Skye wouldn't listen and here she is now on her own with the rest of the family.

            I won't allow Rinoa to fall for Sonny.  I won't let another sister fall for the wrong guy.  I'm not going to let Sonny hurt me.  For once, I'm going to be the winner.  I'm going to keep Courtney, get Michael back, and protect Rinoa.

            I've got to warn Rinoa about Sonny.

*******

Sonny… 

            I know AJ's trying to provoke me.  I'm trying to restrain myself from going after him and from confronting Courtney and taking her back with me.  But it's hard, you know?

            Carly's at my side, and she thinks that we should attack AJ's sister.  Not Skye, but the other sister, the younger and innocent sister, Rinoa Lockhart.  If she's anything like Courtney, she won't pay any heed to warnings about the danger a person represents.

            I would have asked Carly to the dance floor with me, but I doubt she'd want me to cut in with Rinoa and then leave her alone with AJ.  And so I went alone.

            I felt Courtney's eyes on me.  I could even feel her worry and concern that I was about to cause a scene and attack AJ.  But I don't work that way.  Courtney would know that if she had actually given me a chance and had given my warnings due attention.

            I walked up to AJ and Rinoa calmly.  Courtney's at my heels and she appeared right behind me as I tapped on AJ's shoulders.

            I introduced myself to Rinoa and asked her if I could cut in.  It's obvious AJ doesn't like the idea, but, before he can say no, Rinoa accepted.  She released AJ's hands and stepped towards me.  She turned back, and, with a delighted grin on her face, said that Courtney has perfect timing as we're about to change partners.

            The look on AJ's face was priceless.  He can't argue with Rinoa and order her not to dance with me, because that's not the side he wants to show to Courtney.  He wants Courtney to see how he's such great older brother- protective yet not smothering.

            Believe me, I have no plans on seducing Rinoa the way AJ was seducing my sister.  That's not my style.  I don't play with little girls, and, although Rinoa is older than Courtney by a good few years, she still was too young for me.

            No, I've approached Rinoa for one and only one reason.  To appeal to her and ask her to help me reach Courtney.

*******

Alexis… 

            I knew this had been a bad idea.  I had known it the moment I had agreed to the double date.  I had known it when I had started preparing for the evening.  I had known it when Jax came by to pick me up.  I had known it when Ned and Kristina had called with that sorry excuse about being tied up with business.  I had known it when Jax and I had stood out in the lobby considering our options.  I had known it when we had entered the restaurant and had been shown to our seats.  I had known it when Jax and I ended up sitting at a table next to Carly.  I had known it when Carly said she was with Sonny, and that Sonny was on the dance floor with AJ's sister.  I had known it when both Jax and I looked, expecting to see the impossible sight of Skye and Sonny dancing together.  I had known it when, instead, we saw Sonny with that new girl, the one whose picture had been in the paper, Rinoa Lockhart.

            And, again, I was struck with the thought that Rinoa Lockhart seemed strangely familiar to me, as if I had met her before in the past.

            But that last thought didn't stay with me for long.  Skye Chandler Quartermaine had joined our table.  And it didn't take a psychic to realize how upset she was with Jax and I.

*******

Jax… 

            It worried me, it really did, to see Sonny with yet another impressionable young woman.  Just how many women's lives was he going to destroy and ruin in his lifetime, anyway?

            Her name is Rinoa Lockhart, and she's the newest semi-addition to the Quartermaine family.  I say semi-addition, because she isn't really a Quartermaine but she is the daughter of a woman married to a Quartermaine.

            It's obvious that the two of them are talking.  Sonny has his usual smile on his face.  It hides what he's really thinking and feeling, but I doubt Rinoa knows that.

            Brenda, Carly, Angel, Skye, Alexis… and I'm sure the list goes further.  Rinoa won't be the newest edition to the list.  I won't allow it.  I've done all I can to keep Courtney from falling into AJ's grasp.  I may have failed with her, but I won't fail with Rinoa.

            And that's when I realized that someone is now standing by our table.  Someone who's terribly angry and upset.

            I turned my gaze away from the dance floor and looked up into a pair of furious, blazing eyes. 

*******

Skye… 

            I don't know what upset me more: seeing Jax walk in the restaurant with Alexis on his arms or seeing him stare after Rinoa.  His heroic radar sense had undoubtedly keyed in on yet another woman he had to protect and save.  And where am I on the radar?  Nowhere, because I'm not in danger and I have no need of his protection.

            I should have known that this was what Ned had been alluding to this entire week.  All the veiled hints and insults.  All the questions about how Jax was doing and if he seemed happier.  All the questions about how Alexis was doing or if I've seen her recently.  That stupid Neanderthal Fred Flintstone wannabe.

            I pushed my chair away from the table and stood up.  I marched myself to the corner that Alexis and Jax had been ushered to.  I ignored the smug and snide look on Carly.  Normally, I'd give her a similar look and egg her on about Sonny with another woman, my brother's sister, but I'm too hurt, too focused, on another task.

            Jax felt my presence.  He shifted his gaze from Sonny and Rinoa to me the minute I had reached his table.  I looked into his eyes, and he looked into mine.  I saw no sorrow, no denial, no repentance, or no fear at being caught red-handed.  And why should he have had any of these looks on his face?  I had no claims on him, the same way he had no claims on me.

            I don't know what it was.  Wounded pride?  Shattered hopes?  I must have known that a white knight like Jax would never fall for a person like me.  Heck, I told AJ the very same thing ages ago.  Jax didn't care what his business partners were like, or how ruthless they were.  It was in his friends, his lovers, that he expected more.  And there was no way I would ever rise to those expectations.

            So what was I going to say to him?  To Alexis?  Was I going to show how much he hurt me?  How much it hurt me to see that he had ignored my calls and invites, even just as friends, to go out for dinner only to go out with Alexis?

            I didn't want to show how much it hurt.  I wanted to pretend that I was a fortress, and that my heart was impenetrable.  But what I want and what I do often do not match.  And it didn't match once again.

            Jax and Alexis were saying something, I don't know what.  Alexis, the constant peacekeeper, tried to explain but I had no wishes to hear anything she said.  To me, it made too much sense.  Sonny had returned to Carly, and so Alexis had went to Jax.  It was like what that news reporter had said: Jax and Alexis had switched partners with Sonny and Carly.  And now they had switched back yet again.  And that left an outsider like me alone.

            I knew the Quartermaines were watching me.  I knew Monica and Edward wanted to watch me make a fool of myself once again.  I knew dad wanted to keep me from getting hurt.

            The words wouldn't come to me.  I looked away, gathering the strength to tell Mr. Jacks and his date exactly what I thought of them.  And that's when I saw them.

            AJ and Courtney.  Sonny and Rinoa.  They were watching me, gauging my actions.  They were judging me.

            I've lost so many times already, so many times that I can't even remember how many times I've lost.  And somehow, Jax had always come out the winner.  He's always been the one feeling as if he's lost nothing.

            AJ's felt this way too many times before.  I'm his older sister, and, for the first time in a long time, I decided that I was going to stop thinking of myself.  I was going to stop living my life to please myself.  If I was going to be a born loser, someone, who no matter what she tried, was destined for failure, then, fine.  Life can do whatever it wanted to me.

            But if I can't be a winner, then AJ will.  I wasn't going to screw things up for AJ.  I would help him get everything, from Courtney to Michael to Rinoa.

            My lips curved up into a small smile.  I looked down and I saw Jax smile back at me.  What was he smiling at?  Did he think I actually bought any of Alexis's bull?

            I turned to the side and snatched a bottle of champagne from Carly's table.  I popped open the cork as Carly was voicing her complaints.  It's been a while since I've last drunk, and the aroma of the champagne tempted me, but only briefly.

            Can Jax tell what it is I'm about to do?  I looked back towards AJ, and I saw he knew what I was about to do.  I was about to throw the ball back into his court.

            I turned the bottle around and dumped its contents on top of Jax's spiked up blond hair.  All with a smile, of course.

            Before they could get a word in edgewise, I wished both Jax and Alexis a delicious dinner.  I told the waiter to put the tab for the champagne on Mr. Jack's bill, rather than on the Corinthos' bill.  And then I turned around and left the restaurant.

            I felt their eyes on me as I left.  I hoped I was the image of heartbreak.  If I played it out right, then Rinoa would know better than to let Jax in to her life.  And, if AJ read my message well, he'd follow me out the restaurant and further prove to Courtney how he's such a great older brother.

*******

On the dance floor… 

            "Looks like Skye needs you," Courtney told AJ, motioning with her chin towards the departing Skye.  "I think Jax just upset her again."

            AJ frowned.  The last thing he wanted to do was desert Courtney and leave her in Sonny's grasp.  "You'll be okay if I go?"

            "Of course I will," Courtney smiled.  "I'll just go back to the table and wait for you."

            "Yeah, sure," AJ muttered.  He shot a dark look towards Sonny.  Skye was putting him in a hard place.  Unless… "Can you take care of Rinoa, too?  And explain to her what happened?"

            Courtney shook her head.  "But I don't know what happened."

            "Just tell her that I'll be right back," AJ told Courtney.  He leaned in slightly and gave Courtney a small kiss on her cheek.  "I'll be right back."

*******

Hotel lobby… 

            "Skye!  Skye, wait up!" AJ called out to his older sister.  "Skye!"

            "Good, you got the message," Skye muttered.  She pulled her jacket over her shoulders and straightened the arms out.  "You tell Courtney and Rinoa that Jax the jerk upset me, but that I'll be fine and that I just needed some time to cool off."

            "Wait a minute," AJ pulled on Skye's elbow.  "Are you really hurt?  Did Jax do something to you?"

            It was strange, although very comforting, to see such concern and worry emanate from another person toward her.  Jax used to look at her like that, but that had been mostly because of his need to play white knight, and not because he had actually cared for her.  "I'm fine," Skye answered stiffly.  "Jasper Jacks cannot hurt me, AJ.  Not now, and not ever.  You go back in there, and you tell Courtney and Rinoa, you _warn_ them how and what Jax is really like.  And don't tell them to stay away from him the way you did to me, cause, AJ, that'll only make Jax seem more tempting.  You tell them how Jax played with my feelings and broke my heart.  You tell them how they should stay away from him, because no matter how special Jax makes them feel, they're nothing to him.  You tell them that.  And then send them to me for referral."

            "You're really upset that he's with Alexis," AJ said, surprise evident in his voice.

            "It's called _pride_, AJ.  My pride was shattered tonight, nothing else."  Skye forced a smile to her lips.  "Now, I am going to go out and forget that I ever thought Jasper Jacks had a human side to him.  You, go back in there and make sure Sonny's not influencing Courtney or Rinoa."

*******

Ladies' bathroom… 

            "So who was he to Skye?" Rinoa asked innocently.  She put down her brush and looked questioningly at Courtney.  "Were he and Skye dating?"

            "Not that I know of," Courtney shrugged.  "I really don't know what they were to each other."

            "Skye looked upset to see him with the other woman," Rinoa commented.  "You had your back to them, but I saw them clearly.  Skye was very upset when that man walked in with the other woman."

            "That other woman would be Alexis," Courtney sighed.  "And Alexis is my brother's lawyer."

            "And your brother is Sonny, the guy I had been dancing with."  _How much longer must I pretend to know nothing?_

            "Yeah, that's the guy," Courtney answered.

            "And the other blond at the nearby table?  The one who was practically laughing at Skye?"  _The bitch whom I'll ruin for laughing at Skye's pain._

            "Carly, my brother's ex-wife.  And the mother of AJ's son, your nephew," Courtney said with a small, tired chuckle.  "It gets so tangled up and so confusing, I've given up trying to figure things out."

            _Wonder what you'd think the day you find out I am both AJ's sister and Nikolas Cassadine's sister.  But by then everyone, including Sonny, will think you did run that red light.  And Nikolas and his fiancée will be safe from you, your lawyer, and Sonny._

            "I hope Skye's alright," Courtney mumbled.  Maybe she and Skye hadn't started off on a good foot, but AJ had helped them change a relationship of one of hostility to one of friendship.

            Courtney stared at her reflection.  Jax had bared his soul to her once.  Well, at least parts of his soul.  In all likelihood, the woman he had been talking about had been Skye.  If that had been how he had felt about Skye, then why was he now with Alexis?

            "Let's go," Courtney said suddenly.  "I'm hungry.  Maybe our food has arrived."

*******

At the docks… 

            Skye's head was, quite literally, in turmoil.  Flashes of images from the past flooded her mind.  The trip down to Louisiana.  The meetings and plans to steal ELQ from Edward.  The comforting shoulder Jax had provided when Edward had fallen to a heart attack.

            _There's very little I'm capable of giving.  I'm not ready to fall in love with anyone and I never will be able to._

            That what Jax had said.  That's what Skye had known.  So what had possessed her, what had made her arrogant enough to think that she could make Jax fall in love with her?  And why did her heart choose him, of all men?

            _You know the definition for insanity?  Doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different outcome.  That should apply to one of us, don't you think?_

            Helena Cassadine's words of wisdom.  Well, Skye Chandler Quartermaine was not going to act like an insane woman anymore.  She wasn't going to run after a man who didn't give a damn about her.  She wasn't going to pin her feelings on a guy whose only need in life was to play some stupid white knight. 

            _I over E.  Intelligence over emotion._

            She had forgotten that, what AJ had reminded her, but not anymore.  She was going to let her brain do all her thinking from here on.  Besides, everyone already thought she was some heartless piranha.  It was time she started acting her role out.

            Nobody gets to make me feel worthless.  Not some two-bit crime lord and not some billionaire playboy.

            That's what she had said.  And she intended on making it true.

            Skye was too engrossed in her thoughts to notice the man following her every footstep.


	5. Chapter 4: Unholy Alliance

Chapter 4: Unholy Alliance Jax's suite… 

            Jax paused, the new clean shirt he had been changing into was only half-buttoned.  He walked towards his window and peered outside, staring at the black darkness speckled with light from the streetlamps, hotel lamps, and the stars.

            He had wanted to follow Skye and make sure she was fine.  But then AJ had run after her, all the while warning him to stay away from his sister.  And everyone had been staring at the commotion that Skye had caused.

            AJ would take care of Skye, as much as Jax hated the thought of it.  Like many others in Port Charles, Jax had seen the way Skye and AJ were with each other.  They might treat the world like dirt, but, to each other, despite the occasional arguments and fights, the two were each other's best friends.

            And so Jax had left AJ to check on Skye, and he had gone up to his suite to find a suitable change of clothes.  Alexis was in the process of switching tables, both because of the mess Skye had left and because of the awkwardness there had been to sit at the table beside Carly and Sonny.

            Jax frowned and shook his head.  Skye was infuriating- she confused him and sent so many mixed messages that he never had an idea where he stood with her.

            But the same could be said about him.  What kind of messages had he been sending to Skye?  What kind of a person, man, told a woman that he'd be willing to take the risk but only if she made the first move?

            That left Skye with all the responsibility to take the initiative, and him with the freedom and luxury to wait and let her decide.

            It had been the coward's way out, to let another decide the course of action.  But that had been exactly what he had done.  And, just as worse, he had, when the going got tough, given up on Skye.  He had given control of ELQ to Lila so that she would have the responsibility to deal with her.

            Skye had once accused him of being a white knight.  And he had denied it, saying that white knights were like saints, and he was neither.  Truth was, he had been a coward.

*******

Docks… 

            Skye wearily eyed the stranger.  "I'm warning you to stay away from me.  If you hurt me, then you'll hurt AJ, and then you'll hurt Courtney and she'll never trust your boss ever again.  She'll throw him out of her life, and in turn he'll destroy you.  So you just run back to Sonny and tell him Skye Chandler Quartermaine is _not_ intimidated by him."

            "Let me assure you, Sonny is not my boss," the man replied.  A look of hatred and anger flitted onto the man's face as he said the name Sonny.

            "Yeah, _right_," Skye said sarcastically.  "You've got Sonny written all over you."

            "I promise you, Miss Quartermaine, Sonny Corinthos is as much my enemy as he is yours."

            "Is this some new plot?  Get my trust, get to Courtney and then stab AJ and I in our backs?  I don't think so," Skye said, her voice filled with contempt.

            "Perhaps if I introduced myself first," the man suggested.  He removed his glove and offered his hand to Skye.  "My name is Roscoe."

            "Roscoe," Skye echoed with disbelief.  What kind of a name was that?

            "And you're right," Roscoe continued.  "I do resemble Sonny's people, don't I?  But there's a perfectly good reason for that."

            "And that is?"

            "I work for Sorel's group.  Or what used to be Sorel's group," Roscoe informed her as he leered at her.

            _Sorel… that's the guy who's after Emily!_

            "And I'm here to give you an offer you won't want to refuse," Roscoe said temptingly.

*******

Port Charles Grille… 

            Rinoa chewed on her tongue softly.  She massaged her tongue gently, all the time considering her next option.  The family dinner outing hadn't been what she had been expecting or hoping for.  Skye had fled the scene, AJ was busy talking with Courtney, Edward and Monica kept talking about how even Jax had turned his back on the traitorous Skye who had undoubtedly betrayed Jax in some way, and Alan kept rebuffing both Edward and Monica.  Rinoa sighed and continued to pretend that she was listening to her mother's opinions on Skye.

            "How are you doing, Rinoa?" AJ interrupted.  He smiled apologetically at Monica.  "Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off."

            Rinoa hid a snort.  "Fine, thank you," Rinoa said brightly.  But, honestly, she was pissed off: no one in the family, except for AJ, had seemed concerned for Skye or had tried to follow her; and she wasn't getting the opportunity to fully earn Courtney's trust.

*******

The table with the double date… 

            "Well, that's my cousin for you," Ned said with ill humor.  "You do the smallest thing to upset her, and she'll spend the rest of her life trying to get back at you."

            "I agree," Kristina nodded.  "Skye has a very dark and troubled aura."

            Alexis gritted her teeth.  Her little sister was about to go on another aura-sensing trip and aura-talking babble.

            "But that new girl, Rinoa," Kristina said thoughtfully, "I get very good vibes from her.  She must have had a very happy home, and I'm sure she'll be a good influence on the Quartermaines."

            "Maybe," Ned shrugged.  "Rinoa declined Monica's offer to live at the mansion, and she's taken up residence in the hotel.  In the suite right next to Skye's."

            "Ugh," Kristina grunted.  "I don't know why she'd choose to be near Skye."

            Alexis rolled her eyes.  For the brief time Kristina and Ned had been here, they had done nothing but talk about Skye, Jax, or Rinoa.  "Well, you know what they say," Alexis said sarcastically.  "It's not the healthy that the doctor goes to, but the sick."

*******

Docks… 

            A new person had come to the docks, but his presence went unnoticed by either Skye or Roscoe.

            Skye withdrew her hand from Roscoe's grasp.  Her heartbeat quickened.  Was Roscoe going to threaten her as Sorel had threatened Emily's life?

            "I propose," Roscoe said slowly, "that we strike up an alliance against Sonny Corinthos.  My men, Sorel's men, Sorel's power, combined with all your power, the power of the Quartermaine name, the power of ELQ, the power you possess."

            _This is crazy, Skye.  You can't possibly take him up on his offer._

            "Corinthos may be strong enough to withstand you.  And he may have been strong enough to survive my attacks.  But he'll buckle under our combined might, Miss Quartermaine.  We would have him at our mercy if we joined forces."

            _Sorel is the reason Emily's in hiding.  Sorel is the reason why she and Zander first tried to run away.  If I ally with them, everyone will hate me.  Dad… grandmother… AJ…_

            "If we joined forces," Roscoe said alluringly, "then you would have nothing to fear from Corinthos.  And neither will your brother.  I would protect you and your brother, and then, as our power grows, we'll work together to destroy Corinthos," Roscoe said smoothly.  He watched Skye intently.  She was honestly considering accepting his proposal.  Roscoe slithered up to Skye and, once again, offered his hand.  "What do you say?  Will you seize the day?  Carpe diem?"

            Zander had heard enough.  He hurried over towards Skye and then physically pulled her away from Roscoe.  "Get away from her," Zander snarled at Roscoe.

            "Zander!" Skye exclaimed with annoyance.  "What in the world do you think you're doing?"

            "Saving your skin," Zander replied sharply.  "Trust me, Skye.  You do _not_ want to work with this creep."

            _Saving my skin?  Who died and appointed you white knight?  I don't need Jax, and I most certainly do not need you, one of Sonny's men, to save me._

            "She's a grown woman," Roscoe retorted.  "Miss Quartermaine can make her own decisions."

            "Skye, I'm telling you to stay away from this man.  He worked for Sorel, the guy who forced Emily into hiding," Zander said angrily.  "He's bad news, Skye, and the farther you stay away from him, the better."

            _When I'm warned to stay away from something, I can't resist._

            That had been the case when AJ had first warned her to stay away from Jax.  And look at what had happened.  She should have listened to AJ.  But Skye has never been one to listen to those around her, despite what experience told her.  And maybe that was where Helena's words had truth in them.

            Or maybe it was something else.

            "No one tells me what to do Zander, least of all you, one of Sonny's lackeys," Skye said hatefully.  She shook Zander's grip off her wrist.

            "Skye, this guy is the reason why Emily is-"

            "What happened to Emily was tragic," Skye cut Zander off.  "I won't deny it.  But neither will I let it control the decisions I make in my life."

            "You're going to accept this guy's offer?" Zander asked incredulously.

            Skye looked towards Roscoe.  She considered her options.  She considered what had transpired this past night.  If AJ's happiness and protection were to be her goal in life, then she was going to need help in ensuring it.  And as Jax had refused to be their help, then she had to seek the help from elsewhere.  And look at what Roscoe was proposing.

            "I over E, Zander," Skye told him.  "Intelligence over emotion.  If I want to take down Sonny, Zander, I've got to play smart.  And there's no way I'm going to take Sonny down unless I have help."

            "The Quartermaines will hate you."

            "Intelligence over emotion," Skye repeated, but this time with a sad smile on her face.  "I'm not going to let my emotions decide for me.  My brain's in control from here on.  Do I care what my family thinks?  Before, kind of.  Now?  Not a bit."

            "So you accept my offer?" Roscoe asked, a sly grin on his face.

            "Yes, I do," Skye said firmly.  Skye extended her hand.  "Roscoe, you've got a yourself a deal."

            "Splendid," Roscoe smiled toothily at her.  He accepted Skye's hand and shook it.

            _Look at Zander.  He's looking at me as if I've lost my mind.  Well I haven't lost my mind, Zander.  If you listened the slightest bit to my words, you heard me say that I would play it smart from here on.  I will not let my emotions run my life… not anymore._

            _I know Roscoe is dangerous.  And that he can easily turn on me and destroy me, ELQ, and AJ.  But, see, that's the difference.  That's the one thing you'll never understand, even though you ought to._

            _The only people who can hurt you, Zander, are the people you gave your trust to.  Roscoe does not have my trust, not in the least.  So whatever he does to me, he cannot hurt me.  The only people who can hurt you, Zander, are the ones you trust.  The hurt comes when they betray you.  Emily betrayed you, and she broke your heart, and look what happened to you.  Playing lap dog to Carly.  My heart's been stomped on so many times, that I'm immune to pain of any kind._

_            I fear nothing, especially not death.  You and I, Zander, we've experienced the worst life has to offer.  You might choose to act like an insane person and believe that life won't play you for a fool again, but I won't.  I refuse to._

            "So go run to Sonny," Skye sneered.  "And tell him what happened.  Tell him that his two worst enemies have joined forces, Zander.  And tell him to watch his back because I will not rest until the day AJ is safe from him."

            Skye turned her attention back towards Roscoe.  "Now, where were we?"

            "Discussing our union," Roscoe answered smoothly.  He offered his arm to Skye.  "Shall we discuss it at my place or yours?"

            Skye glared at Zander defiantly.  "Yours."

            _That's why you can't be disgusted by the things that losers do, because you'll never be so desperate you'll never have to stoop so low._

            If Jax could see her now, would he finally feel disgust?


	6. Chapter 5: A Royal Mess

Chapter 5: A Royal Mess ELQ Office… 

            "Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada," Skye muttered.  Who in the world wrote these contracts up?  Skye uncapped her black pen and hurriedly signed her name on the bottom of the page.

            In a short matter of hours, Rinoa's official welcoming party to the Quartermaine family was about to begin.  The party was to take place at the Port Charles Hotel, and, whether or not she, Skye, would be allowed attend the party, Skye was unsure.  AJ had given her the heads up that Zander had informed the Quartermaines of Skye's decision to ally herself with Roscoe.  And the family had been, to say the very least, unhappy with her choice.

            Skye sighed.  She had given up on the Quartermaines.  She had told herself that.  She had sworn to herself that the Quartermaines meant nothing to her.  They had treated her like nothing, and she would reciprocate in kind.  The only one that mattered, the only person whose opinion meant anything to her, was AJ.

            And AJ hadn't condemned her for her decision.  He had voiced his doubt, but he hadn't given her contempt.  He would probably confront her later, when they were face-to-face, but, for now, he would trust her.  He was the only one who had ever trusted her.

            And why?  Was it because he knew that she was not to be trusted, and so she never had the chance to betray him?  Kind of like the situation she was in with Roscoe right now.  Roscoe would never have a chance to betray her because he never had her trust to begin with.

            Skye picked up the contract she had just signed and placed it in her "OUT" tray.  The secretary would send the proper copies to each involved party, and then the secretary would file it away.

            "Well, might as well go see how hot the waters are," Skye mumbled to herself.  She opened her drawer and took her purse out.  She grabbed the coat that she had carelessly thrown onto the back of her leather chair and now draped it on her forearm.

            "Closing shop already?" an Aussie accented voice drawled out.  "What, was it a slow day?"

            Inwardly, Skye groaned.  From the serious look on Jax's face, despite his carefree banter, it was obvious that he had been informed of her recent alliance with Sorel's people.  She had known that a confrontation between the two would eventually come about, but she hadn't been hoping that it'd come later than sooner.

            _Well, I guess it's time I proved that I don't give a damn._

*******

General Hospital… 

            "Rinoa," Courtney gasped.  "Sonny?  Are you kidding me?"

            "What?" Rinoa retorted defensively.  "So he's your brother.  I get that.  But, Courtney, whether or not you're his sister, you've got to admit the guy's pretty hot."

            "Eww, no!" Courtney exclaimed.  Her face wrinkled in disgust.  She just couldn't imagine Sonny in that way, no matter what Rinoa said.

            "He's got the cutest smile," Rinoa gushed.  "It sends shivers up my spine when he smiles at me."

            "Rinoa, please, please, please," Courtney begged, "tell me you are _not_ falling for my brother."

            "Of course not," Rinoa chuckled.  _But it wouldn't hurt to have you think I had a weak spot for both you and your brother._  "I just think he's got a great smile, Courtney.  He's totally not my taste, anyway."

            "Thank God," Courtney sighed with relief.  Not only would it be awkward considering how Sonny felt about AJ and Skye, but it would also be weird, to say the very least, for two siblings to date another pair of siblings.

            "But that's what tonight's party is for," Rinoa said cheerfully, interrupting Courtney's thoughts.  "My official pseudo-Quartermaine acceptance.  Everyone who's anyone in Port Charles is invited, and I'm sure to meet someone I like, right?"  _And you'll be my confidante and we'll become better and better friends until the day I set you up for the fall._

            "Sure," Courtney smiled.  "I'm sure you'll meet someone terrific."

*******

Quartermaine estate… 

            "I knew from the very first day she set foot in this house that Skye was nothing but trouble," Monica ranted.  "She tried to sic Sonny on us, and, when that failed, she turned to Jax and he stole ELQ from us."

            "Not that you did anything to stop it," Edward interrupted bitterly.

            "And it's not like he didn't return the company to a family member," AJ said sarcastically.  "Oops, my bad.  He did give it back- he gave it to grandmother."

            "It doesn't matter what Jax chose to do," Monica snapped.  "What matters is that, from the very first day Skye came to Port Charles, she has done nothing but try to ruin the family.  She went to Sonny, then she went to Jax, and now she went to Sorel.  Sonny was bad enough.  He took Jason from us.  But he did _not_ hunt Emily down like some kind of animal."

            "No, Sonny only hunted me," AJ said angrily.  "But I guess that's okay because I must have asked for it."

            "AJ, you cannot possibly be on Skye's side," Monica cried out.  "She's working with the people who destroyed Emily's life."       

            "I know that," AJ said, a hard determined look on his face.  "And I also know how it feels to feel as if the entire world has turned its back on you."

            "Skye turned her back on us first," Monica growled.

            "I'm not going to argue that," AJ muttered.  "All I'm going to say is that I refuse to turn my back on Skye.  I refuse to pretend she doesn't exist.  I refuse to stop being her friend.  She's had my back for the past few months, regardless of what I did.  And I'm going to return the favor."

*******

Sonny's penthouse… 

            "Alexis, are you going to the party tonight?" Sonny asked slowly.  "The party the Quartermaines are throwing for Rinoa?"

            "The one at the hotel?  Yes, of course," Alexis answered.  "The Quartermaines invited all the Cassadines, even those who refuse to take the name of Cassadine."

            "You have a date?" Sonny asked, his trademark dimpled smile appearing.

            "Uh, no," Alexis replied.  "But don't think that means I'm going to take you along as my date."

            "What?  Why not?" Sonny asked innocently, his palms held up innocently.  "It's not like… you know, I would attack AJ or something."

            "But you weren't invited, and for very valid reasons," Alexis pointed out.  "Tonight's party is to honor Rinoa's homecoming, and I don't want to take the spotlight away from her."

            "But, you know, what if I had been invited?" Sonny persisted.

            "You were not invited," Alexis shook her head.  "So there's no point in discussing the case."

            "But what if I was?"

            "But you weren't."

            "If I was?"

            "But you weren't."

            Sonny laughed.  He and Alexis could do this all day unless one of them took the initiative to end it.  Sonny walked towards his desk drawer.  He opened the top drawer and withdrew the invitation he had received.  He handed it to Alexis.  "Now, as I was saying, if I were invited, which you can see I was, would you be my date?"

            Alexis examined the card in her hand.  "This is impossible.  The Quartermaines would never invite you to the party."

            "But they did."

            "This is AJ's work, isn't it?" Alexis frowned.  "Sonny, don't fall into AJ's trap.  Don't let him tempt you into doing something you'll regret.  Stay away from the party, and trust me to take care of things."

            "AJ didn't invite me to the party.  None of the Quartermaines did," Sonny informed Alexis.

            "So who did?"

            "Rinoa did."

            "Rinoa?" Alexis echoed.  "As in the guest of honor herself?  As in Monica's daughter and AJ's sister?"

            Sonny nodded, his smile once again appearing.  "Is that such a surprise?"

            "Since when did the two of you become such good friends?" Alexis asked suspiciously.  "Was it the other night at the Grille?"

            "Well, yeah.  You know, Rinoa isn't so bad.  She, uh, listens.  And she said she understood what it meant to want to protect your younger sister.  And then she came by the other day and personally invited me to the party," Sonny told Alexis, all the while smiling.

            "And you didn't seduce her?"

            "Alexis, you know me.  I don't… play like that."

            "And you didn't threaten her?" Alexis asked for verification.

            "Of course not," Sonny answered, the smile never leaving his face.  "So, what do you say, Alexis?  Will you be my date to the party?"

            The smile was contagious, and, before long, Alexis was smiling along with her employer.

*******

General Hospital… 

            "I know him," Rinoa whispered to Courtney.  "That guy's some kind of prince, right?"  _He's more than a prince.  He's my little brother._

            "That's Nikolas Cassadine," Courtney said wearily.  "He's the fiancé of the woman framing me for the hit and run."

            "He is?" Rinoa feigned surprise.  "Is he involved with the court case, too?"

            "Probably," Courtney nodded.  Courtney gestured her arms.  "His family funds many of the activities at the hospital, so he's often here checking on hospital management."

            "I've never met a real prince before," Rinoa told Courtney, a hint of excitement in her voice.  But the excitement was not at the thought of meeting real live royalty, but in meeting, for the first time, her little brother.  _After all, I am a princess in my own right, as I am the true heir to the Cassadine fortune._

            "So go introduce yourself," Courtney urged Rinoa.  "Who knows?  Maybe he'll fall for you and that lying fiancée of his will finally get exactly what she deserves."

            _This isn't something I would expect from the innocent and pure Courtney._

            "Maybe I will," Rinoa said with a grin.  _I've been wanting to get to know my little brother, anyway.  Having a mask to cover my true intentions wouldn't hurt any._

*******

ELQ Office… 

            "So what can I do for you, Mr. Jacks?" Skye said with forced cheerfulness.  "What kind of business have you brought to ELQ?"

            "What do you think you're doing?" Jax asked as gently as he could.

            "Whatever do you mean?" Skye asked innocently.  "I'm just doing my job, Mr. Jacks.  I'm doing my job as CEO of ELQ, which, you ought to know because you put me here."

            "I'm not talking about ELQ," Jax said impatiently.  "I'm talking about what Zander told me.  I'm talking about what you're doing with scum like Roscoe."

            The minute Jax mentioned Zander's name, Skye started chuckling.  It was partly out of nervousness, but it was also part of her scheme to buy some time as her mind raced from one idea to the other.

            "Well?"

            "If you wanted to talk about Roscoe, who's a part of my _personal_ life, and not a part of my _business_ life, Mr. Jacks," Skye said with forced politeness, "then I recommend you seek me out during my personal time, and not during business hours."

            "But aren't you leaving the office?" Jax persisted.

            "Yes, I am," Skye said, irritated.  "In fact, I'm leaving right now to meet with Roscoe.  Would you like to come along so that I can personally introduce the two of you?"

            "Not really."

            "Then," Skye said with a flourish, waving her right hand, "I suggest you drop this conversation because I have no intention in continuing it with you."

            Jax frowned.  He and Skye were going to have this conversation, whether or not she wanted it.  If it weren't now, then it would have to be later.  "If we can't talk about it now, then when can we talk about it?" Jax demanded.

            "Any time when it's not business hours, and when I'm not busy," Skye retorted.  "If you want, you can check with my secretary and see when those times might be."

            Jax frowned.  "That won't be necessary."  Jax ran his hand through his spiked hair.  "You are attending the party for Rinoa tonight, aren't you?"

            "As long as my family doesn't throw me out," Skye said wryly.  "Then, yes, I will be there.  Can I expect to see you there, also, Mr. Jacks?"

            "And are you taking Roscoe with you?"

            "No.  Believe it or not, I do have some sense of propriety," Skye said stiffly.

            Jax smiled down at Skye.  "Well, then, Miss Chandler Quartermaine, I hope we can continue this conversation later during the party."

            _He's the only one that can say my name like that and send shivers down my back._

            "Perhaps," Skye said vaguely.  "Shall we go?"

*******

General Hospital… 

            "Miss Lockhart," Nikolas bowed his head slightly.  "It's an honor to meet you."

            "Yeah, sure," Rinoa chuckled.  "A prince is telling **me**, a nobody, that he's honored to meet me?  Shouldn't it be the other way around?"  _Oh my God… he looks so much like father.  It's like looking into a mirror that shows the past.  I can't believe I'm finally talking to him… after all this time._

            "Well, your mother and Dr. Quartermaine run this hospital," Nikolas said politely.  "And they're quite skilled at it."

            _He's so handsome, so much like my father.  Damn Laura Spencer!  Why couldn't Nikolas be raised with me?  Why couldn't you leave Nikolas with his father?_

            "Did you receive an invitation to the party tonight?" Rinoa asked nervously.  _Don't lay it on too thick, Rinoa.  Keep this charade much longer and he really will think I'm some sort of giggling twit._

            "Of course," Nikolas smiled.  "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

            _And some day, I'll tell everyone that I'm a Cassadine and we'll have another party, but this one to celebrate the family that I do love._

            _Oh, look at Courtney.  She's getting a kick out of this.  Does she really think I'm in love with Nikolas?  Does she hope I'll steal Nikolas from Gia and cause Gia more problem so that Gia's mind won't be focused on the court trial?_

            "What's so funny?" Nikolas asked.  He glanced behind him, but saw nothing peculiar.

            "Oh, it's just my friend," Rinoa covered.  "She, uh, thought I'd make a total fool out of myself if I'd, uh, walk up to you and strike up a conversation.  And, uh, I think she's right so far."

            "Hey, I might be a Cassadine prince," Nikolas acknowledged, "but I was, still am, just a normal person just like you and everyone else."

_You're more like me than you know, little brother._

*******

Port Charles airport… 

            "How serious is this?" Rae Cummings asked Alan.  He had called her earlier in the week, insisting vehemently that she come over to Port Charles to talk to their daughter.

            "I'm very worried about Skye," Alan said, despair evident in his voice.  "I'm at my wit's end on what to do with her."

            "Does she know who this Roscoe character is, Alan?" Rae asked gently, praying for the best.  "Maybe Skye had no idea who she was getting involved with."

            "She does," Alan said darkly.  "Zander swears that Skye knows exactly who Roscoe was, but she accepted his deal regardless."

            Rae sighed.  Her daughter's life was always filled with misguided decisions.


	7. Chapter 6- Quartermaine Celebration

Chapter 6: Quartermaine Celebration Port Charles Hotel Ballroom… 

            "You look beautiful," Monica gushed over her newfound daughter.

            Rinoa beamed at the compliment, and, in reply, did a 360 spin to show off the dress she had on.  It wasn't a floor-length dress, and, in fact, it was quite at the other end of the spectrum: the dress ended slightly above her knees.  The dress was sleeveless, and it was of a creamy yellow color.

            "I'm going to have to beat all the guys back with a stick," AJ joked.  "Beauty, brains, wealth- a true catch for any man."

            "Rinoa's not a catch," Courtney scolded lightly.  "No woman is a catch, AJ."

            "Besides," Rinoa grinned, eyes twinkling, "it's not like I'm a teenager who needs her older brother to protect her.  Like you said, AJ, I've got brains.  It's not like I'm going to fall for a loser who's going to seduce me for my wealth."

            "Yeah," Courtney laughed.  "You're going to get a prince to fall for you, and princes are loaded."

            _Idiot._

            "A prince?" AJ repeated, one eyebrow quirking upwards as he echoed Courtney's words.  "What prince?"

            "Courtney's just being weird," Rinoa winked, keeping true to her role.  Courtney, as Rinoa has planned, had quickly become her best friend.  And why wouldn't she have?  Courtney had been in desperate need of a friend, and Rinoa's appearance into Port Charles had answered Courtney's need for a friend perfectly.

*******

Skye's suite… 

            "Ok, Skye, the party's going to start in a few minutes, and besides showering and picking your outfit, you've done nothing to get ready," Skye mumbled to herself.  A life of independence and separation had been a lonelier and sadder path than she had anticipated.

            Skye set down her hairbrush and stared at her reflection in the mirror.  She was going to the party- there was no question about that.  The question, really, was whether or not she'd be allowed to stay at the party or if she'd even be given entrance into the party.

            At the very least, the party was right downstairs and, if it turned out that she wasn't welcome to the party, then she would have a quick retreat to "home base".

            So which was preferable?  Going to the party soon after it started, when, hopefully, only a small number of people had showed up, or stalling the inevitable and going later when, unfortunately, there would be more guests to be humiliated in front of?

            The first choice sounded the best option, but, regardless, going down to the party where the rest of the Quartermaines were wasn't an appealing thought.

            For all her claims of independence and freedom from emotional outbursts, she was still too accustomed to seeking some sort of approval or friendship.  What if she went to the party and was greeted only with anger and loathing?

            Scarlett O'Hara had gone to Ashley Wilke's birthday party as an outcast.  Her husband, Rhett Butler had deserted her, Yet Scarlett had been accepted, if only because the town sweetheart Melanie Wilkes had insisted on it.

            It would be no different in her case.  Scarlett O'Hara had done what she needed to do in order to make a living and create a stable financial situation for her family.  Skye Chandler Quartermaine had done what she had to in order to secure her and AJ's health from the likes of Sonny Corinthos.  She had done what she needed to do in order to guarantee a chance that one day Sonny Corinthos could one day be taken down and destroyed.  And if all that meant that she had to lose some friends and loves along the way, then so be it.

            "Skye?" Rae called out as she knocked on the door to Suite 931.  "Skye, it's me, Rae… your mother."

            Skye turned away from her mirror, her reflective thoughts, and stared at the door.  What was her mother doing in Port Charles?

*******

Port Charles Hotel Ballroom… 

            "You have got to be kidding," Monica snorted.  "That man is not welcome here."

            "Don't make a scene," Alexis whispered in to Sonny's ears, although she trusted and knew he wouldn't.

            "Alexis," Ned greeted with a stiff smile.  "I thought you'd know better than to bring Sonny as your date."  Especially since he and Kristina had thought she and Jax had been getting along together so well.__

            "Sonny and I did come together," Alexis verified.  "But he is, by no means, here only because he came with me.  He has his own invitation."

            "That's ridiculous," Monica scoffed.  "The only way he'd have an invitation is if he stole it from someone."

            "Which wouldn't be too big of a surprise considering who he is," Edward added snidely.

            "I didn't steal it from anyone," Sonny said defensively.  "I was given the invitation and asked to come.  And it would have been rude of me to not attend, since, you know, she came by to personally invite me over."

            "Who invited you?" Monica demanded.  "No one would have invited you, Sonny."

            "I did," Rinoa called out from where she was, halfway across the room.  She turned back to those standing around her and smiled lightly at them.  "You trust me, big brother?"

            "I think so," AJ said slowly.  He shared a mystified look of confusion with Courtney.  Rinoa knew how he felt about Sonny, yet she had invited him to the party?  What if Sonny was seducing his sister?  "You, Courtney?"

            Courtney turned towards the entrance, where the leaders of the Quartermaine clan and the newly arrived guests stood.  She squinted her eyes at her brother and Alexis, and tried to decide if their presence at the party would threaten her and AJ's fun.  "Well, I guess at least he isn't with Carly," Courtney conceded.

            "She's not invited," Rinoa said quickly, grinning.  She winked at AJ and Courtney and then went towards the entrance of the ballroom to greet the guests.

            "This party just got very… interesting," Courtney said weakly.

            "I hope Skye doesn't bring him," AJ muttered darkly, his eyes trained on his mortal enemy although his mind was focused elsewhere.  Although, having Roscoe at the party might not be a bad idea as, in the best of situations, Roscoe and Sonny could end up killing each other.

*******

Skye's suite… 

            Skye sat stiffly in her seat.  She watched with narrowed eyes as her mother filled her in on the recent happenings as Llanview.

Todd and Blair Manning had just adopted a new baby and Starr was jealous of all the attention showered on the baby.  Personally, Skye wished the baby luck and thought both Starr and the baby would be better off if they were neglected by their psychotic parents.  Oh, and Starr has saved a man's life.  But whether or not this man deserved to be saved was the question.

            This man had seduced and betrayed Lindsay Rappaport into admitting to a past crime.  But which crime had been worse: the past committed crime or the crime of seducing and betraying a woman?

            "Rae, get to the point," Skye said, her voice jammed pack with irritation.  "We both know you didn't come all the way to Port Charles so that you could fill me in on the current events at Llanview."

            Out of habit, Rae gritted her teeth.  Her daughter was as stubborn as a mule, and talking reason into her was going to be an uphill battle.

            "So who told you?  Dad?" Skye hazarded a guess.  "Or did Monica want to rub it in that evil Skye has brought the mob into her _sacred_ home?"

            "It was Alan," Rae admitted.  "Your father is very worried about you."

            "And about Roscoe, the man I've taken into my life," Skye said monotonously.  "It kind of feels like a disapproving father over his teenager daughter's choice of a boyfriend.  You know, dad has had a problem with his other daughter's boyfriend.  I guess this latest disapproval he has for me officially makes me his daughter."

            "Alan doesn't disapprove of you, he disapproves of your choice.  Your father does love you," Rae said gently to her daughter.  "And his concern over your latest decision is just one of many ways he shows it."

            Skye resisted the urge to roll her eyes.  Banishing a daughter from the family home was not a form of love.  Well, at least not in Skye's mind.

            "But I suspect that this latest choice of yours has nothing to do with your father," Rae added.  "Am I right?"

            Skye reclined back in her seat, and rested her head against her right hand.  "Maybe."

            Rae leaned forward, mentally taking note that her daughter had chosen this part of the conversation to retreat into the back of her chair.  "The last time I was here in Port Charles," Rae started slowly, "you talked to me about a perfect, wonderful guy whom you wanted a love potion or recipe for."

            "And you want to know what happened to him?" Skye frowned.

            "First promise me that you weren't talking about this Roscoe fellow then," Rae requested.  A part of Rae was worried that her daughter's taste in men was so incredibly bad that she had indeed been referring to him.

            "He wasn't.  The other guy fell through," Skye said darkly.  "And that's all I want to talk about him."  It was bad enough that, if Jax kept his promise, he was going to hunt her down during Rinoa's party.

            "What happened?" Rae probed ignoring Skye's wishes.  "What happened to him?  To the two of you?"

            "Nothing," Skye said crossly.  She crossed her arms in front of her, and glared angrily at Rae.

            Should she probe deeper or switch the topic?  If, as Rae suspected, this was the reason for Skye's decision to enter Roscoe's life and have him enter hers, then talking about the root of the problem and why Skye had made such an insane decision had to be issues that had to be resolved.

            "Why can't you tell me what happened?" Rae asked gently.  "Don't think of me as a psychologist, Skye, but as your mother.  What happened?"

*******

Port Charles Hotel Ballroom… 

            Rinoa's head tilted slightly towards her left.  She squinted her eyes a little, and studied, with great concentration, the couple standing by the staircase.  "I don't see it," Rinoa confided to Courtney.  "They're not really dating, are they?"

            Courtney glanced quickly in the direction of the staircase.  "Yeah, they're dating," Courtney confirmed.  "Elizabeth Webber and Lucky Spencer.  She's the girl who almost died in the accident, and Lucky's her boyfriend.  They're best friends with Nikolas and Gia."

            _Grandmother was obsessed with Lucky Spencer.  She had some kind of diamond thing to make him do her every bidding.  Yet, he had broken control of it and had regained his own free will.  Very impressive._

            "He's kind of cute," Rinoa commented softly.  According to her sources, Elizabeth and Lucky were over, regardless of what they said or claimed.

*******

Skye's suite… 

            "We had a difference of opinions," Skye said finally, ending the three minutes of silence that had existed between her and her mother.  "I wanted certain things in life, and, even though he was able to give them to me, he just wasn't willing to."

            "What did you want?"

            "Oh, just what every girl wants," Skye sighed, waving her right hand in a dismissive gesture.  "True love, safety from everyone, fairytale ending… everything."  The fairytale ending part certainly would encompass the part about extracting revenge and protecting her brother.

            "Last Christmas, the way you described the other guy," Rae said quietly, thoughtfully, "I would have thought that he would be able to give you all these things."

            A minute of silence passed.  And then another minute passed, only to be followed by a continual wave of silence.  Skye allowed the memories of the past Christmas holiday to return to her.  And, with those memories, came the sadness and longing for a time not long past, of a time when the beginnings of a promising relationship with Jasper Jacks had just begun to form.  And then, when Skye was ready to talk, her voice had strangely changed.

            "But he wasn't in love with me," Skye said shakily.  "And, uh… that decided everything."

            "You said he suffered a terrible heartbreak," Rae said soothingly.  "Perhaps all he needed was time."

            Skye shook her head wobbly.  She was surprised when she felt tears form at the edge of her eyes, and then was astonished when Rae stood up, walked towards her and then placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.  Rae gently patted her daughter's head, and Skye instinctively rested her head against the crook between her mother's shoulders and head.

"It, uh, wasn't that," Skye said sadly.  "He, uh… I uh… showed him the, um…" Why was it so hard for her to say the words that were in her heart?  Because she had forsaken her heart and everything it had held?  "I showed him the real me, and he hated it.  He said he couldn't get involved with someone like me and left."

            Rae cringed inwardly, but remained a silent pillar of support.

            Skye wiped her tears away.  "I showed him the real me," Skye repeated desolately.  "The part that entailed lying, scheming, and manipulating.  And he didn't like it.  At all."

            "You can change," Rae encouraged softly.  She didn't like those qualities in her daughter, either.

            But those were qualities that were as much a part of her as her Quartermaine blood.  Maybe it even came from her Quartermaine blood.  "He knew I was like this," Skye continued softly, sniffling in between a few of her words, "but he still gave me a chance.  But then he got tired of it, and he was done with me.  He left me, and went back to his ex-wife."

            Rae frowned. She hadn't known that this perfect guy of Skye's had an ex-wife.

            "And she's perfect for him," Skye said miserably.  "She's as clear and day and can't tell a lie."  Well, maybe, maybe not.  Skye didn't know Alexis well enough to make those statements about Alexis.  And lawyers always stretched the truth and bended it to their own will.

            The thought awakened an angry, charged feeling within Skye.  It enraged her to think that she is being passed over for someone who is so similar to her.  Why wasn't she good enough?!

            A hard glaze settled in Skye's eyes.  She stiffened in her current position, and then sat up.  She leaned away from the comforting shoulder her mother had provided, and once again took a defensive stance.  "But this Roscoe guy, mom?  He doesn't judge me for what or who I am.  He doesn't hate me for all the lies I tell."

            Rae sighed.  She could tell from both her daughter's eyes and her posture that the brief moment of Skye baring her soul had ended.  "But isn't he filled with his own lies?"

            "And he gives me what I want," Skye continued, ignoring Rae's comment.  "We both want the same things in life, mom.  And we both are willing to give it to each other.  What more can I ask from life?"

            "Love," Rae said simply.  "Love."

            Skye wiped the last of her tears away.  Her composure had returned completely, and she was once again in complete control of her emotions.  "Love is for suckers.    Love doesn't last.  It hurts.  Love is a losing proposition with lousy odds."  That was what she had said to AJ long ago, and that, along with I over E, was what she was going to adhere to and believe in.  "I'm not looking for love, Rae, and I don't expect it from Roscoe or anyone else."  Skye stood up and walked towards her bedroom.  She had a party to get ready for.  "And I'll never be disappointed again, cause I'll never expect it from anyone or anything."

            Rae watched her daughter close her bedroom door to prepare for Rinoa's party.  It was too symbolic, too full of meaning for Rae to not notice her daughter's action: how her daughter had stiffened at the thought of sharing her feelings, but due to emotional stress and build-up, had been too full of emotional stress to hold it in for long.

            And the way her daughter's eyes had glazed over, like a curtain falling over the eyes that showed the true soul of the person.  It had been no coincidence that it was at that point that her daughter had replaced her shields and emotional and mental defenses, and had forced her emotions away.  And the same could be said about Skye's decision to end the conversation to prepare for the party.  She had closed the door, another barrier between the person whom Skye truly was and the world outside.  She had closed the door so that she could dress herself up into a gown, and, once again, cover up just whom she really was.

            But was this any of Skye's fault?  Years of rejection had to have some sort of effect on the woman.  Years of being abused and neglected at Althea Chander's hands, and years of being treated with secondary attention while under Adam Chandler's hands, years of rejection for other women possessing various characteristics that Skye didn't have.  No wonder Skye often felt so insufficient, as if she had to lie and pretend to be something that she simply wasn't.  At some part in her life, Skye had been taught, conditioned, to believe that she, meaning the real her, wasn't sufficient.  That, unless she pretended to be something she wasn't, she would always be rejected.  Skye Chandler Quartermaine had been taught to be something that she wasn't, and that included lying and pretending to be something and someone else.

            After several years of pretending, Skye had taken the next step down its path and had begun to reject those she felt would reject her once they recognized who she really was.  Or, at least whom she thought she was.  Or, even, what she had been forced to become.  Skye Chandler Quartermaine had taught herself to push others away before they could have a chance to see her for her true self and, as Skye assumed they would, push her away.

            And that frightened Rae.  It frightened her to think that her daughter had been raised in such a way, and that her daughter now had such an incredibly low self-esteem.

            Alan had seen it.  He had even told Rae.  But had they ever done anything about it?  They had both known that Skye was incredibly vulnerable, and that she put up a front to protect her fears of inadequacy.  The obvious solution had been to love their child unconditionally, to love her despite whatever outrageous stunt she pulled.  But neither parent had done it.

            So what do you do with a woman who pretends to be something she isn't due to a fear that her true self will be rejected?  Or what do you do with a person who pushes those around her away by being cruel, vicious and mean simply because she is afraid of showing her true self to others due to fear of rejection?

Rae Cummings had finally realized a part of her daughter that Jax, the man whose name her daughter had never told her, had long ago realized, even if he hadn't figured out what to do about it.  Skye Chandler Quartermaine was a complicated woman, but what she wanted and what she needed were really quite simple.  All Skye ever wanted or needed was someone to accept her for who she was, and love her for who she was.


	8. Chapter 7: Ex-Jasper-ating Jerk

Chapter 7: Ex-Jasper-ating Jerk Port Charles Hotel Ballroom… 

            "Penny for your thoughts," Rinoa offered.  She lifted her glass of champagne and winked at the man standing beside her.  "Or are you really the ruthless tycoon that everyone makes you out as?  Should I be offering a thousand for a precious thought from Mister Jasper Jacks?"

            Jax smiled politely.  "Miss Lockhart," he greeted.  "I hope you're enjoying your party."

            "Please, call me Rinoa," Rinoa told Jax.  "And I am having a good time, thank you.  And you?  Are you enjoying the party?"

            "It's the best party I've been to all week."  Although the statement was true, it was meaningless: it had been the only party Jax had been to all week, and both people were aware of it.

            "It can't be all that great, though," Rinoa commented dryly.  She leaned over and picked up Jax's drink.  She sniffed it for a few seconds.  "Ginger ale?"

            "There's nothing wrong with ginger ale," Jax said lightly.

            "No, there's not," Rinoa agreed.  "But there is something weird when a person chooses to drink ginger ale when he can have champagne or wine."

            "I happen to like ginger ale," Jax told Rinoa.  Although, honestly, he normally would be drinking a glass of champagne instead of the nonalcoholic ginger ale.

            "If you say so," Rinoa smiled innocently.  "But that doesn't explain why you've spent the entire evening so far here at the bar.  That doesn't sound too fun.  Unless, of course, you are one of those types of people who hate dancing and like standing around doing nothing."

            "Maybe."

            "And then," Rinoa continued, "I also couldn't help but notice that you've had your eyes trained in that direction all evening."  Rinoa pointed towards the entrance of the ballroom.  "Are you waiting for someone, Mr. Jacks?"

            "Perhaps."

            "Hmm," Rinoa turned back towards the entrance.  "A certain redhead, perhaps?  My brother's sister?  Are you watching to see if she brings her new beau with her?"

            A slight grimace came over Jax's face.

            "Because that's exactly who I'm waiting for," Rinoa said nonchalantly.  "I've been watching for her, too, Jax.  I just haven't been as obvious about it as you've been."

            Jax didn't even bother trying to deny that he had been keeping an eye open for Skye's arrival.  "And why are you waiting for Skye?"

            "My mother," Rinoa's voice had a slight note of disdain in it, "doesn't want Skye to come to the party.  And my mother has every intention of barring Skye entrance.  If I don't watch for Skye, then she just won't be allowed in."

*******

Elsewhere in the ballroom… 

            The smile froze on Rae's lips.  Rae watched crossly as Monica turned her back on Rae and ignored her and treated her as if she didn't exist.  Why was Monica still treating her this way, especially since, this time around, it had been Monica's long lost daughter who had come to Port Charles?

            "Rae," Alan said warmly.  He walked over to his past love, and enveloped her body into an affectionate hug.

            "Alan," Rae replied gratefully.  After the "session" she had just shared with her daughter, Rae had felt empty and cold.  Undoubtedly, the feeling had been emphatic in nature, and Rae had received it only because that had been what Skye had been emitting.

            Unbeknownst to them, a furious and jealous Monica glared daggers at their backs.

            "How's Skye?" Alan asked hopefully, as he parted from the hug.  "Is she coming to the party?"

            "Yes, she is," Rae answered.  "And she's coming alone."  That ought to sooth Alan's fears and worries.

            "Thank Heavens," Alan exhaled.

            "Alan," Rae said gravely, "we have to talk about Skye."

*******

Elsewhere in the ballroom… 

            "What a stuffy bore," Rinoa announced as she approached Courtney.  "That guy is too busy staring at the entranceway to talk to me."

            Courtney hid a smile.  Even though Rinoa was in her mid twenties, she often acted like a teenager.  "So who's he looking for?  Skye?"

            "Pretty sure," Rinoa nodded.  She glanced around, her gaze briefly resting on Skye's parents deep in discussion.  "Where's AJ?"

            "He wanted to go up to check on Skye," Courtney told Rinoa.  Courtney was actually jealous that Rinoa and Skye had such an attentive brother who looked out for them, yet didn't cross the line in becoming an obsessive control freak like her own brother was.

            "Brothers are the best things in the world," Rinoa mused aloud.  _If only you knew how much better your brother is than you give him credit for._

            "Not my brother," Courtney sighed.  "He treats me like I'm some sort of pet, like I'm too stupid to make my own choices."

            "There are worse brothers," Rinoa said lightly.  "Sonny actually isn't too bad, Courtney.  You ought to give him a chance."  _And with these words, you and Sonny will never think of me as your enemy._

            Courtney looked at Rinoa quizzically.  Did her brother get his hooks into her also?  Was Rinoa now another cult member for the Sonny fan club?

            Rinoa smiled innocently.  "Trust me, Courtney.  There are worse brothers out there in the world."

*******

Elsewhere in the ballroom… 

            "Skye," Rae said slowly, "is a psychologist's dream come true, to say the very least.  She has so many problems, Alan, so many deep-seated emotional problems, that I don't even know how we can begin to help her."

            Concern was written clearly across Alan's face.  "She won't reconsider seeing that man?"

            "That's not even the problem," Rae sighed.  "Well, it _is_ a problem, but it isn't the main problem."

            Rae pulled Alan's hand, and led him to a more secluded corner of the ballroom.  "Our daughter," Rae began, "is a very vulnerable woman, although she hides it impressively well, and has a frighteningly low amount of self-esteem."

            "I know," Alan said, his face dead serious.  "I've tried to help her with that, and I've tried to show her how much I love her."

            "But it's not enough, Alan," Rae said despairingly as she wringed her hands.  "Skye's been rejected so many times, so many countless times, that she thinks she's worthless.  That no one could possibly love her, unless she pretends to be something she isn't."

            "That's ridiculous," Alan burst out.  "I've told Skye many times that I love her, no matter what she chooses to do."

            "Alan," Rae cried out, "you know as well as I do that actions speak louder than words.  Do you think your promise of love can drown out her banishment from the house?  Which do you think means more to her, Alan?  Your words or your actions?"

            "I had to ask her to leave," Alan said morosely.  "It was for the good of the family, Rae."

            "But what about Skye?  What about our daughter?" Rae demanded.  "She's part of your family, too, Alan.  But yet you rejected her for the others.  I know she did things to warrant her banishment, Alan, but banishing her from your house isn't going to help her get any better."

            Rae massaged her forehead with her right hand.  "After my talk with Skye," Rae said shakily, "I started thinking about the past.  About Skye and everything I knew about her.  And do you know what I realized?"

            "No," Alan replied dully.  He knew he wouldn't like what Rae had to say, but he knew he had to hear it.

            "On my one hand, just using three fingers," Rae said, her voice cracking, "I can count the number of people who have accepted Skye for who she was.  Three people, Alan, just three people, who have never ever rejected our daughter or made her feel worthless or insufficient.  And it wasn't you, and it wasn't me, and it wasn't AJ."

            Alan knew this much.  He had rejected Skye after her role in Emily's accident had come to light.

            Rae lifted her right hand's index, middle, and ring finger.  "Myrtle Fargate, my mother and Skye's grandmother, Stuart Chandler, Skye's adoptive father's brother, and Lila Quartermaine, your mother and Skye's other grandmother," Rae counted, lowering a finger as she said each name.  "Three people, Alan.  Of all the hundreds of people our daughter has met, only three people have fully accepted her and made her feel loved."

*******

Elsewhere in the ballroom… 

If only one thing could be said about Skye, as she descended the spiral staircase which led to the main ballroom, then it would have to be that the woman knew how to make an entrance.  Her entrance wasn't loud, and neither was it ostentatious.  But, as Skye Chandler Quartermaine made her way down the stairs, escorted by her younger brother AJ, she was the perfect model of quiet dignity and grace.

Skye knew that, save for a possible select few people, her presence at the party was not welcome.  She knew that many of the guests were wondering about her alliance with the mob.  And, thanks to AJ, she also knew that Sonny, an enemy to both her and Roscoe, would be watching and judging her moves.

Normally, even for a woman like her, that would have been unnerving.  It would have been more than unnerving- it would have been downright frightening.  An ordinary person would run away before allowing such harsh judgment to take place.

            But Skye was not an ordinary person.  And, as Rae had recently discovered, the mental and emotional shields that Skye possessed had greatly increased in strength.  To the outer eye, she was the picture of a woman filled with self-confidence.  But that was to the naked eye, and the naked eye often missed the truth.

            "You think Monica will still make a scene, even though you're with me?" Skye whispered softly to AJ.  Her face was set in a serious tone; no smile reached either her eyes or her lips.

            "Rinoa's rooting for you," AJ whispered back.  "And that's all you need.  Monica doesn't want to risk fighting and arguing with Rinoa, not yet, at least."

            "You, Courtney, and Rinoa," Skye muttered.  "Three people, right?"  There was no way she was going to stay over an hour for this party, especially since there were only three people who were still on amicable terms with her.

            "Well, you forgot dad and Rae," AJ suggested.  "Or did you purposely leave them out?"

            "What do you think?" Skye replied.  From the corner of her eye, she saw Rinoa pull Monica to the side and, in all probability, insist and argue that Skye had a right to be at the party.

            "Uh oh," AJ muttered.  "He's coming for you."

"Jax?" Skye asked, her eyes never veering off AJ's face.

AJ nodded.  "I told you he was watching like a hawk.  Rinoa noticed it first, and then she pointed it out to both Courtney and I."  All three of them had found it incredibly amusing that Jasper Jacks had spent the entire night thus far by the bar drinking ginger ale and staking out the entrance of the ballroom.  Unlike Rinoa, who had masked her surveillance of the entranceway, Jax had been very open about it.  "You want me to stick by you, Skye?"

"Thanks, but I'll be fine," Skye said monotonously.  She came to the party with only one goal: to show her support for Rinoa.

*******

Elsewhere in the ballroom… 

            "You rejected her the day you found out that I was pregnant with her, and chose not to acknowledge her existence.  I rejected her after meeting her.  And then, even though I had found out she was my daughter, I had kept it a secret.  One of her enemies leaked the truth to her, and it pained her to think I didn't want to acknowledge the truth and take her in as my daughter," Rae admitted sadly.  "And, of course, neither Edward nor Monica have ever accepted Skye.  At most, Edward accepted one of her facades, but not her."

            "AJ didn't like Skye, either," Alan contemplated.  "But then they became allies, best of friends, even."

            Rae nodded.  "So there's Lila, Myrtle, and Stuart.  The three of them have always made Skye feel welcome, safe, and accepted.  After some sort of initial rejection, Skye began to trust a few more people," Rae continued thoughtfully.  "You, myself, AJ, and her mystery man."

            "Mystery man?" Alan repeated.  "Who's her mystery man?"

            "She never gave me a name," Rae sighed.  "And I never pushed her to give me a name.  She just didn't trust me enough to tell me, I suppose."

            "Who are you talking about?" Alan demanded, a hint of urgency in his voice.  Was Rae referring to Jasper Jacks?

            "At first I thought it was just a crush, or a challenge she wanted to conquer," Rae admitted to Alan.  "But now, I think it was more than that.  I think… it might have been love, Alan.  I really think she may have been in love with him."

*******

Elsewhere in the ballroom… 

            Since the night of the accident, Gia Campbell has not had a single drop of alcohol.  She knew that drinking in itself was not something to fear, but it was the combination of drinking and driving that she had to be cautious of.

            Tonight, Gia was seriously tempted to drink again.  Rinoa, the guest of honor of the party, was, once again dancing with Nikolas Cassadine.  Gia didn't consider herself to be the jealous type, and, the last time her jealousy had flared, that had only been because of the fact that Nikolas and Sarah had been involved with each other in the past.

            She didn't want to be jealous of Rinoa.  There was no reason to be jealous of Rinoa.  But, yet, she was.  Maybe it was because of the way Courtney and her brother, Sonny, had been watching her, Nikolas, and Rinoa.  Or maybe it was because of the comments the reporter had made the other night about her being a has-been.  Or maybe it was because the media was now making out the long lost daughter of Port Charles and the Cassadine prince as the future Cassadine royal couple.

            The jealousy and insecurity in Gia rose.  The temptation to drink once again rose with it.  But the sight of Liz and Sarah was more than enough to deter Gia from her temptation. 

            Gia wasn't the only one uncomfortable with the sight of Rinoa and Nikolas sharing more than one dance.  Monica Bard Quartermaine, one of two people in the room who knew the truth of Rinoa's parentage, was uncomfortable with the idea of her daughter unknowingly dancing with her half-brother.  What if her daughter was to become smitten with the dashing prince?  What if he were to leave his fiancée for her daughter?  If that were to happen, Monica would be forced to admit the truth of Rinoa's heritage, and then all Hell would break loose.

            But what choice did Monica have?  If she instructed her daughter to stay away from Nikolas Cassadine, then suspicion may arise.  And Monica did not want to admit to anyone, not even her own daughter, that her father had been the most hated man of Port Charles: Stavros Cassadine.

            But the thought of her daughter having an incestuous relationship with her half-brother was too much for Monica.  Monica resolved to have a talk with her new daughter about men and stealing fiancés from their brides to be.

*******

Elsewhere in the ballroom… 

            The color of her velvet dress was all too familiar: it was a royal deep blue, exactly the same shade as the dress he had purchased for her from New Orleans.  The design and cut, though, were much different.  This dress was floor-length, with a slit on the right side that went up slightly above her knee and, at the top of the dress were two simple, thin spaghetti straps.

            "I don't want to talk right now," Skye said to Jax as soon as he got into ear range.  "I've come tonight simply to offer my support and love for Rinoa.  And I don't want to think about anything but that."

            "You can't avoid the subject forever," Jax told her softly.  "We have to talk, Skye."

            "I know.  But not right now," Skye replied, her voice devoid of emotion.  She had released all her emotions prior to her trek to the party, and she was now devoid of all feeling.  Or, at least that was what she was commanding herself to feel like.  "I'm not staying for long.  I'll tell you when I leave, and then we can talk."

            Jax prided himself on being able to read people, their emotions and feelings.  He had, in the past, admitted to Skye that he had been staring at her because he had been studying her, trying to figure out who she was.  And, somewhere along the way, he had figured Skye out, although only partially.  He had figured out why she acted the way that she did, and this in itself had been the farthest any one person had gotten with Skye.  Myrtle, Stuart, and Lila had all accepted Skye for who she was, without any questions or doubts.  They had never tried to find out why Skye was the way she was, unlike Jax.  But the answer he had discovered had only led to more questions, questions to which he had never taken the time to answer.  Now, looking at Skye, he knew that she had changed once again, and that the person he had once had her pegged out to be was no longer the person she was now.

            "Now, if you'll excuse me," Skye said distantly, "I'm going to talk to Rinoa and give her my best wishes."

*******

Elsewhere in the ballroom… 

            The question in whether or not she should tell Alan what her daughter had entrusted with did not even cross Rae's mind.  Her daughter needed help, and neither she nor Alan knew all the facts.  And, until they each started sharing what they each knew, they would never be able to find a way to help their daughter.

            "Remember last Christmas," Rae reminisced.  "Skye was a changed woman.  She wasn't filled with anger, or with thoughts of revenge."

            A small smile appeared on Alan's face as he remembered the recent holiday.  "She had just taken over ELQ," Alan recalled.  "And she was in the best of spirits, and she was confident that she would do a stellar job as CEO."

            "Skye was filled with hope and optimism," Rae acknowledge softly.  "She was so changed, Alan, that she actually came to me and asked me for my help."

            "What did she want help with?"

            The smile on Rae's face was bittersweet.  "She wanted to know how to make a man fall in love with her.  And it wasn't just because she wanted him, but because she was in love with him."

            This news shocked Alan to the very depths of his soul.  He had never suspected that his daughter had such strong feelings for a man.

            "I should have noticed it then," Rae said, her voice filled with self-reproach.  "I should have realized that she didn't think he would fall in love with her, and that she thought that she needed to resort to some sort of trick to earn his love."  And what had made it even worse was that she had, in the end, suggested to Skye that she wear the sexy gray dress.  Yes, Rae had told her daughter that love happened on its own, and that perhaps the man Skye had been so smitten with simply needed time to get over his previous loves.  But she hadn't pushed this concept far enough, and had, instead, given her daughter the advice to wear a sexy dress that, although revealing, did nothing to show Skye's true self. 

            Alan was certain that Jax was the mystery man that Rae was referring to.  There was no other man that his daughter had grown close to since coming to Port Charles.  Well, no man that wasn't related to her by blood.  Without a doubt, Skye's mystery man had to be Jasper Jacks.

            "I'd like to wring his neck," Rae said suddenly, fury evident in her voice.  "She trusted him, Alan, and she showed him who she was.  And, instead of staying by her, instead of proving his love or support for her, he deserted her.  He made her feel worthless, as if she deserved nothing more than a mafia hoodlum."  Rae's eyes flashed angrily as she thought of her daughter's depressingly low self-esteem.

            Alan's eyes scanned the ballroom.  He found their daughter standing within a small group of people: AJ and Courtney, Rinoa, and Jax.  AJ and Courtney stood close to one another, while Rinoa stood protectively near Skye, and Jax was the outsider, the one trying to make some sort of connection with Skye, but the one who was rebuffed with a simple commanding glance.

            It all made sense that Jasper Jacks was the mystery man that Rae spoke of.  He was the one that had helped Skye take her place as CEO of ELQ.  He was the one that had stood by her side when the truth about Courtney and Janine had been revealed.  He had been the one who had forced Edward to drop his charges against Skye and AJ.  He had been the one who had given her the strength to make peace with a comatose Edward.  And he had been the one who had upset her that night at the Grille, the night that she had made her decision to ally herself with a man like Roscoe.

            But what use was the revelation that his daughter had been in love with Jasper Jacks?  He couldn't just confront Jax and demand that he fall in love with his daughter.  That was preposterous.  And neither could he confront Jax and tell him his and Rae's suspicions of the feelings that Skye had for him.  That would be incredibly disrespectful of Skye's feelings.

            Alan gestured towards the area where Skye was standing.  "Do you see our daughter, Rae?  She's in the long blue dress, standing with a small group of people."

            It took Rae a few seconds to locate her daughter.  Rae nodded.  "I see her."

            "Do you see the group she's with?  AJ, Courtney, Rinoa, and the tall blond man?" Alan asked.

            "Yes, I do," Rae responded, curious as to where Alan was going with this conversation.

            "That blond man is Jasper Jacks, and I'm pretty certain that he's the mystery man," Alan informed Rae.  "In fact, I'd bet everything I own that he's the guy.  Question is, Rae, what do we do about it?"

            "Him?" Rae gasped.  Finally, she had a face and a name to attach to the mystery man.  But, like Alan said, what were they to do now?

*******

Elsewhere in the ballroom… 

            Together, they would have made a beautiful pair.  Together, they would have turned many heads and earned many envious stares.  But they weren't together.  Well, not really.

            Skye and Jax were both leaving the party, but, although they were leaving at the same time, and they were leaving together, they simply didn't look together.  It was more than just frigid tension that existed between the two of them.  In truth, one was radiating frustration while the other emitted an emotion that was too hard to describe, too hard to define.

            "I'll be leaving for Roscoe's in an hour," Skye said curtly, her voice cold and harsh.  "So whatever you have to say, make it fast."

            He had considered what his words to her would be all night.  He had all night to choose his wording, to select his nonverbal movements and cues.  But, despite all this planning, the words just wouldn't come to Jax.  

            "Well?" Skye asked, impatience creeping into her voice.

            "Why'd you do it?"  The words popped into Jax's mouth, and he spoke them before he had even realized what he had said.

            She didn't need him to define the word "it".  They both knew what Jax was referring to, and they both knew that the time for this conversation to happen had finally arrived.

            "Do you remember," Skye looked up into Jax's Caribbean colored eyes, "the time when you forced Edward to drop his charges against AJ and I?"

            A simple nod, and a confused look as to where Skye's questioning was leading to, was all that Jax's face expressed.

            "And do you remember the time I told you that an intruder had been outside my window?" Skye continued.  "And the time I had AJ lock me up in the meat locker?"

            "Yes, yes," Jax said softly, frowning.  "You called me a white knight.  And I told you I wasn't a white knight."

Skye raised her left hand so that her thumb was right in front of her lips and her pinky finger was closest towards Jax.  It was a gesture that Skye had picked up from Rinoa, and it literally meant that she, Skye, wanted quiet so that she could talk.  In the past, when she and Jax had been on friendlier terms, she would have opted instead to put her fingers near his lips, and thus signify to him that she wanted him to cease talking.  But that had been in the past, when they had been closer, friendlier.  Rinoa's way of silencing people, while equally effective, did not demand a closeness between the two people.

            "And do you remember the time I became jealous because I had seen you and Carly dancing together?" Skye asked, her voice giving no clue as to what she was now feeling.  "It was during Nikolas and Gia's engagement party.  I left early, went back home, and you followed me."

            "I do," Jax replied.  And he remembered what he had said to her, and how she had responded.

            "You asked me if I wanted us to be something more, something special," Skye said, a hint of sadness and longing her voice.  "Remember?"

            Yes, Jax remembered it.  And he remembered all the times that both of them had refused to take the initial step, and how each of them had always, so to speak, thrown the ball in the other person's court.

            "I didn't give you a clear answer then," Skye's voice dropped to a husky whisper, "or any of the other times the topic arrived, but my answer had always been yes."

            Her eyes had never been clearer, never more open or revealing to the person she truly was inside.  The words she spoke didn't contain the faintest scent of a lie, and for the first time, especially since they were in such close proximity to each other, each knew what could have, should have, and would have been.

            Skye turned abruptly, her red hair brushing against Jax's face.  When she turned back to face him, the honest eyes and truthful lips had vanished, only to be replaced by deceiving eyes and a smile as fake as the one on Barbie.

            "But it never would have worked between us," Skye said loudly, her husky and nostalgic voice gone.  "So one night, I was walking along the docks, wondering just what I would do next in life, when this man came along.  And he said he wanted to be everything I wanted, Jax.  He said he would be my white knight, and that he would protect AJ and I from Sonny.  He said he would help me take Sonny down."  Skye swallowed her tears away.  "He said he would be everything I wanted him to be, Jax, and, really, isn't that all anyone needs in life?  He and I were a perfect match.  He had what I wanted, and I had what he wanted."

            With each passing second, the truthfulness and openness of her words were replaced with words of deception.  She didn't want people to know who she was, and Jasper Jacks was no exception.

            "So you wanted to know why I did it," Skye said, "and I just gave you a reason why.  But if you… if you don't believe it, I can give a few other reasons.  You want more reasons, Jax, as to why I did it?"

            Skye didn't even wait for his reply.  "I did it because I thought that if I allied myself with Roscoe, then you'd start paying attention to me again.  That you'd have to resume your role as my white knight and save me from the dastardly mob guy."

            Skye licked her lips, a half maniacal smile on her lips as she got more and more into her web of deceit.  "Or maybe I did it because I'm a crazy, sadistic bitch from Hell."

            Skye held up three fingers.  "Three reasons, Jax.  Take your pick.  Or maybe it's a combination of the three.  Or maybe it's none.  But I guarantee you this, Jax.  Ask anyone who knows me, or ask anyone in this town, and, if they're honest, they'll tell you it's one of these three reasons."

            Somewhere enmeshed in this mostly one-sided conversation had been the truth, but Jasper Jacks was not sure where it lay.

            "We both know that most of the words that come out of my lips are lies," Skye said sadly, bitterly.  "AJ once told me that the most believable lies always have some truth to them.  Somewhere in everything I said to you tonight, was the truth, Jax.  With some lies garnishing it on the side.  It's up to you on which parts to believe are the truth, and which are lies." 

            Skye Chandler Quartermaine was cutting all ties.  She knew that crossfire between Sonny's gang and Roscoe's group would start at any given time.  She had no plans to continue seeing AJ, her grandmother, or any of the other Quartermaines in a regular fashion.  And neither did she want to see Jasper Jacks anymore.  She had made her bed, and she intended to sleep in it.

            "I am the Queen of Lies," Skye told Jax.  "And you and everyone else in Port Charles are better off without me in your lives."  A nostalgic half-smile, a soft kiss on his right cheek, and she was gone, heading for her car and the path she had chosen.  He, on the other hand, was shocked to a silent stillness.  Was she planning her greatest manipulation yet, or was she telling the truth?  What was the truth?

*******

Port Charles Airport… 

            "Port Charles," Erica Kane announced.  "Right on schedule."

            Chris Stamp tightened his trench coat around his body, and then picked up his briefcase.  "For the last time, Erica, are you sure you can get Skye Chandler Quartermaine to cooperate with us?"

            "Of course, Chris," Erica said earnestly.  "She and I shared an adventure once, and we've become better friends because of it.  She'll trust me and help us."

*******

Carly's home… 

            Carly growled in annoyance at the pile of toys littering the living room.  Michael had never been this messy before, and Leticia had always made sure that the house was neat and orderly.  So why in the world was there such a mess today, of all days?

            First, she had been snubbed by being the only person who hadn't been invited to the party thrown for Rinoa.  Well, the only person who owned her own business, at least.  Business had been slow, and rumor had it that Rinoa Lockhart was looking to open a rival nightclub in town.

            What else could go wrong?

            Before long, Carly Corinthos would find out.

            Leticia was lying on the ground, bound and gagged.  When she regained consciousness, she would relay the story of how little Michael Corinthos had been kidnapped.


	9. Chapter 8: Specter From the Past

Chapter 8: Specter From the Past Eleven am… ELQ Office… 

            "I am very impressed," Erica said loudly, announcing her arrival.  "You've become the CEO of ELQ."  Erica smiled broadly at a stunned Skye.  "Well, aren't you going to say hi to me?"

            "Erica Kane?" Skye gasped.  What in the world was Erica Kane, creator and head of Enchantment Enterprises, doing here?  "What are you doing here?"

            "Well, I'm trying to say hello to a friend and catch up on missed time," Erica said breezily.  "It's been a long time since we've last seen each other, Skye.  But you've obviously done very well for yourself."

            Skye's body tensed when Erica walked up to her and hugged her.  Skye weakly returned the hug, although she was still stunned by the presence of her one time rival, then ally, and now… friend?

            "You're not busy today, are you?" Erica asked brightly.  "I'm only in Port Charles for a short while, on business, of course, and I'd really like to talk to you and find out how you've been doing."

*******

Carly's home… 

            "What do you mean we're not going to call the police?" Carly cried out.  "Michael's been kidnapped, and you don't want to report it?"

            "Go to No Name and find out what you can about what and where Roscoe's men were last night," Sonny instructed Johnny.  "I'll be there in a bit.  And if you see Roscoe, have some men follow him."

            "If you would just calm down," Alexis advised Carly, "then we could try to figure out what to do."

            "Shut up!" Carly yelled at Alexis, jabbing a finger in her direction.  "I don't want to hear anything from you."

            "Alexis, I want you to contact Ned and check the Quartermaines out.  If we're lucky, then they have Michael," Sonny ordered, his face wrinkled with deep thought.

            "Understood," Alexis replied immediately.  She took a hesitant step towards the door, but then paused and looked around the shambled room.  "Carly, I will do my best to find your son.  If the Quartermaines have him, I'll find out."

            "But don't, uh, tell them what happened if they don't have him," Sonny added.  "And don't tell them we're looking for Michael."  The note had said not to contact either the police of the federal agents, something Sonny wouldn't have done whether or not the note had been left.  He had too many skeletons buried in the closet to have agents search for clues as to Michael's kidnapping.

            "Got it," Alexis nodded.  Without saying another word, Alexis hurried her way towards the Quartermaines.

            There were three main suspects to the kidnapping, and all three of them were related to each other: AJ; Skye; Roscoe.  Both AJ and Skye had been at Rinoa's party the previous night, and so both had alibis.  But no one had known where Roscoe was.  And, even if it hadn't been Roscoe, then it could have been any of his men.  Roscoe, as he was now Skye's new ally, and he had always had a vendetta against Sonny, was the perfect suspect.

            "Zander," Sonny commanded, "I want you to stay with Carly and stay in the house.  Help my men look for fingerprints or hair samples or anything."

            "Right, Sonny," Zander nodded.

            Sonny turned to leave, but then was struck by a thought and he turned around.  "Carly, I want you to stay in the house and wait until you hear word from me.  If Alexis or Benny comes here, tell them to wait for me here."

            Carly closed her eyes tightly, but her tears still spilled out.

            "I need you to promise me that you'll stay here with Zander, and you won't leave the house," Sonny continued.  "You understand, Carly?  No leaving the house to search for Michael.  You leave that to me."

            A shaky nod was all Carly could give.

            Sonny made direct eye contact with Zander, and, although not a single word passed between the two of them, much was said.  Zander nodded firmly, and watched silently as Sonny left Carly's home to look for the kidnapped child. ******* Port Charles Hotel… 

            "Yeah, Skye and I never got around to thanking you last night," AJ said sarcastically.  "We both wanted to thank you for being so supportive of your daughter."

            "Skye knows that I love her," Alan said defensively.  "She came and left the party so quickly that we never even had a chance to speak to her."

            "Alan," Rae warned gently.  She placed a warm hand on Alan's arm.  "You aren't helping Skye like this."

            AJ snorted softly to himself.

            "AJ," Rae said seriously.  "your sister needs help.  Your father and I are just trying to help her."

            "Skye is doing fine on her own," AJ insisted.

            "She's dating a mobster," Alan said angrily.  "That is not doing fine."

            "AJ, please, we're only trying to-" Rae started to say.

            "Better than Jax!" AJ burst out.  "She's better off with a guy like Roscoe who'll never break her heart."  
            "Break her heart?" Rae echoed instantly.  "Are you saying Jax broke Skye's heart before?"

            AJ picked up a pitcher of water and poured himself a glass.  He took a sip from it and collected his thoughts.  He hadn't meant to bring Jax into the conversation, but, truth was, AJ had wanted to punch the Aussie's lights out for a while now.  The fact that Jax was a considerably bit bigger, though, posed a problem.

            "I am not saying Roscoe is good for Skye.  In fact, I believe the very opposite," AJ said slowly.  "But I won't deny that I appreciate the protection from Sonny that Roscoe provides for Courtney, Skye, and I."

            "Roscoe works for the mob.  He is the mob," Alan spat out.  "How can he be any better for Skye than Jax?"

            "Everyone knows that Roscoe is scum," AJ acknowledged.  "Everyone, even Skye, knows that the man is a jerk.  No one has any illusions that Roscoe is a good man for Skye.  But, see, that's the difference between him and Jax.  Everyone knows that Roscoe is bad for Skye, but not everyone realizes that Jax is bad for Skye."

            "And why is Jax bad for Skye?" Rae asked, captivated by AJ's words.

            "You know what Rinoa calls Jax?" AJ asked Skye's parents.  "Remember those old Indiana Jones movies?  There was one called Raider of the Lost Ark."

            Alan's mouth was opened slightly, and his eyebrows were furrowed together.  What was AJ leading to?

            Rae leaned forward and impatiently waited for AJ's next words.

            "In the short time Rinoa got to know Skye and Jax, and in the short time she had to learn about Jax and his past exploits," AJ said resentfully, "Rinoa came up with a nickname for him, partly inspired by his role as corporate raider and the character Indiana Jones.  She called him raider of the lost hearts."

            "Raider of the lost hearts," Rae echoed, her mind racing.

            "See, neither of you knows Jax too well.  At least not as well as I do.  Jax has a tendency to steal women's hearts.  He charms them, convinces them that he'll love them forever, steals their hearts, and then **WHAM**!" AJ shouted as he smashed his right fist onto the palm of his left hand.  "He breaks their heart, crushes it into nothingness, and leaves for the next conquest.  That's Jax's style, and that's what he did to Skye.  I tried to warn Skye.  I told her what Jax was like, and how he's all style, but little substance.  But she didn't listen.  She trusted him, she thought he loved her, and then it blew up in her face and she was left with nothing.  He broke her heart, her spirit.  So if you ask me who Skye's better with, heart raider Jax or Roscoe scum?  I'd have to say Roscoe scum."

            Rae rubbed her chin thoughtfully.  In her professional opinion, AJ was a man filled with anger and feelings of inadequacy because of his failure to protect Skye from harm.  She would have to schedule an appointment with him later to help him through these feelings, but, for now, she had someone else she had to see.

            "AJ, thank you for talking to us," Rae spoke up suddenly.  She stood up and grabbed her bag.  "I'd like to continue this conversation later, but I have to go see someone."

            "Rae," Alan called out.  "Where are you going?"

            "Jax lives in this hotel, doesn't he?" Rae replied in response.  "I think it's about time I met this raider of lost hearts."

*******

About twelve pm… Port Charles Grille… 

            Erica picked up her glass of ice water and took a small sip from it.  "So tell me about yourself, Skye," Erica said invitingly.  "How'd you become CEO so quickly?  Any important men in your life?  How are the Quartermaines?"

            Skye studied the woman sitting across of her.  Erica had done her homework, and she had found out about Skye's new family and relatively new position at ELQ.

            "I tricked my grandfather into giving up control, a friend helped me take over ELQ, and then he became the major shareholder and he appointed me as CEO, and that's it for that question," Skye said, giving the short answer to Erica's first question.

            "Important men?" Skye hesitated.  "Not really.  My family?  They're doing just fine."

            Erica laughed lightly.  "Skye, you haven't changed a bit!  You're still the same… reclusive non-information sharer."

            Skye raised her eyebrows slightly.  Erica Kane was acting as if they were the best of friends, and this had never been the case.

            "Seriously, Skye, you have to have a man in your life," Erica probed.  "I run Enchantment, but I still have time for the pleasures in life.  And, Skye, you've got everything a man could possibly want in a woman.  You're beautiful, intelligent, charming, rich… everything.  You ought to have dozens of men calling on you."

            Skye hadn't wanted to have lunch with Erica.  She hadn't wanted to leave ELQ office at all, in fact, and had been planning on ordering in.  But then Erica had arrived and she simply wouldn't take no for an answer.

            "Well, what about you?" Skye asked.  She didn't want to talk about her personal life, not about Jax nor Roscoe.  If she was able to turn the conversation onto Erica, then they could spend the rest of the afternoon talking about her, as Erica loved talking about herself, and not about Skye.  "You found anyone _special_ yet?"  Damn, that word _special_ again.

            "Oh, I did," Erica gushed, her right hand clamping over her heart.  "He is the greatest, Skye.  You'd love him."  But, then again, maybe she didn't want to use those exact words, and possibly incite another rivalry with Skye.

            "I'd love to," Skye smirked, glad that the topic of conversation had shifted away from her.  "The next time I go to Pine Valley, Erica, we'll all have lunch.  Or go out for dinner or something.  And you can introduce me to him then."

            "Why wait?" Erica asked innocently.  "Chris, my boyfriend, is at the hotel room right now.  He felt a little sick last night, so I told him to stay in today and rest.  Why don't you come by after lunch and meet him then?"

            ELQ was waiting for her.  But if she said no to Erica, then the woman might pester her the following day.  Or the next.  "Sure," Skye sighed.  "But just for a short while, because I've got work to do."

            "Naturally," Erica beamed.  "I understand what it's like to run a business."

*******

Jax's suite… 

            Rae Cummings needed to speak to Jasper Jacks.  If he wasn't in his room right now, then she would track him down using any method she had to.  Fortunately for her, Jax answered the first knock on his door within a few seconds.

            He smiled charmingly at his female guest.  "What can I do for you?"

            "Are you Jasper Jacks?" Rae asked, although she was pretty certain he was.  Alan had pointed him out to her the previous night.

            "Yes.  And you are?"

            Rae smiled brightly.  "I'm Rae Cummings, Skye Quartermaine's mother.  I need to talk to you about my daughter."

*******

Quartermaine estate… 

            Alexis sighed.  She had wasted over an hour searching at the Quartermaines and had come up with nothing.  None of the Quartermaines had acted suspiciously, and none of the servants had thought anything out of the ordinary had happened.

            "Sonny?" Alexis frowned.  "What are you doing here?  I thought you were going to check No Name."

            "Alexis," Sonny said, "I need you to stop looking for Michael.  And I need you to stay out of the search and anything else related to him."

            "I might not be related to him," Alexis acknowledged, "but I do care for him.  I want him found too, Sonny, and I want to do as much as I can to look for him."

            "Yeah, I know but," Sonny frowned.  "You have to understand, Alexis, that, uh, I can't have you involved."

            Alexis looked at Sonny, confused.  "Why not?  I promise I won't get in the way."

            Sonny looked Alexis straight in the eye.  "I don't want you involved with Michael's rescue, you understand?"  There was no question if Michael would be rescued.  The only question was when.  "I don't need you, and I don't want you, to see what happens.  The less you know, Alexis, the better."

            Alexis bit her lower left lip.  She understood what Sonny meant.  And, although normally she wouldn't approve, this time, with the young and innocent child at stake, Alexis was willing, for once, to turn a blind eye.  "I understand what you mean, Sonny, but I'm not going to stop searching, either."

            "Alexis," Sonny said stronger.  "This isn't open for debate.  I want you to-"

            Sonny's cell phone started ringing, cutting off Sonny's latest orders.  Sonny took his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and answered it.  "Benny, did you find anything?"

            Alexis felt awkward just standing there.  She crossed her arms in front of her, and then started looking around the estate.

            "I'm coming right now," Sonny said curtly.  He hung up his phone and hurriedly jammed it back in his pocket.  "They found Michael.  He's in one of the abandoned warehouses at the docks."

            "Thank God," Alexis breathed in relief.  "Should I get Zander and Carly?  We'll meet you down at the docks."

            "I told you, Alexis," Sonny said coldly.  "I want you to stay out of this.  Just go to Carly's and tell her I'm on my way and Michael's with me."

            "But-"

"But nothing," Sonny cut her off abruptly.  "I'm going alone, and I don't want you or Carly following."

            Alexis has been Sonny's lawyer for a while now, and she knew better than to protest anymore.  She watched silently as Sonny left as quickly and abruptly as he had come.

*******

Jax's suite… 

            Rae wished she had her clipboard with her.  If she had her board with her, then she could pretend that Jax was nothing more than a new patient, someone she had to get to know better.  But the man was much more than a new patient.  He had been the one that she, AJ, and Alan all suspected Skye had fallen in love with.

            "So what did you want to talk about?"

            There was no way she was going to tell this man what her daughter had felt for him.  Instead… "How well did you know my daughter?" Rae asked, her eyes searching Jax's face.

            Jax hesitated briefly.  As he had noticed in the past, Skye was a conundrum, a mystery.  And although he had thought he had figured her out, it had turned out that he hadn't done too well of a job.  "Not very well," he answered.

            "I was under the impression that you understood her as well as her brother AJ," Rae informed him.  "Were my sources mistaken?"

            Jax grimaced slightly.  "Rae, I believe no one, not even AJ, and maybe not even your daughter, knows what Skye is like."

            Rae frowned.  There was truth in Jax's words.  She had suspected as much from her last conversation with her daughter.

            Rae's eyes roamed over Jax's face and body.  She tried to figure out how much of AJ's remarks were true, and how much of it was due to his anger at his inability to protect his sister and how much of it was due to Jax's reputation.  He radiated feelings of earnestness and honesty, and he truly did seem as if he wanted to help her find a way to help her daughter.

            "What were your feelings towards my daughter?" Rae asked finally.  "I've heard conflicting opinions, and now I'd like to hear yours."

            "What did you hear?" Jax asked curiously, a small smirk on his face.  "That I used her to raid ELQ?"  That was what Sonny and Edward had both thought.

            "Maybe," Rae said simply, refusing to give any clue as to whether he was right or wrong.  "Do you think that's true?"

            Psychologists always did have a way to return questions that their patients had asked right back at them.  But Jasper Jacks was no patient.

            "I didn't use her," Jax assured Rae.  "I swear to you I didn't use your daughter in any way."

            "So what were your feelings towards her?"

            Jax wasn't sure if he wanted to answer this woman's questions.  He knew that Skye had problems with her birth mother, and he wasn't sure if answering Rae's questions would hurt Skye in any way.  "Why do you want to know?"

            Rae leaned forward, her hands clenched tightly in her lap.  "I'm worried about my daughter, Jax, and if my professional opinion means anything, I'm certain that you're also worried about her.  I've already spoken to the Quartermaines, Alan and AJ mostly, and they both think you were the closest to Skye.  And, out of all of us, you have the best chance of reaching her."

            Jax chuckled.  But his laughter was devoid of humor, and filled with bittersweet contempt.  "Not likely.  Your daughter made it clear to me she doesn't want me in her life.  And that she doesn't want to be in mine."

            "You have realized, haven't you," Rae sighed, "that more than half the things my daughter says are lies.  And, that being the case, I wouldn't be quite so ready to believe that what she said to you was the truth."

            "I know that," Jax replied.  "No matter how many times I've asked her to, she could never stop lying.  Not even to me."  And that had been the most disappointing part.  He had thought that the two of them had reached a part in their relationship where he was exempt from her lying, but that hadn't been the case at all.

            "Have you ever wondered why?" Rae asked quietly.  "My daughter, as you must have realized by now, is a very complicated woman.  I'm a professional psychologist, but even I can't fathom why she says and does half the things she says and does.  I'd like to change that, Jax, and I'm pretty sure you feel the same way as I do."

            "I do," Jax admitted.  "I've tried to figure her out, but it was too difficult for me."

            "That's because you don't know my daughter's past," Rae pointed out.  "And that's something I'm deficient in, also."

            Was Rae going to propose what he thought she was going to?

            "Mister Jasper Jacks," Rae said formally as she rose from her seat, "if you don't have any plans for the next few weeks, I'd like for you to come with me to Pine Valley and Llanview.  What do you say?"

            "Pine Valley and Llanview," Jax repeated.

            "Pine Valley is where her adoptive family lives, and Llanview was where Skye and I reunited," Rae informed Jax.  "I have some business to take care of in Llanview, but it shouldn't take too long.  I was hoping we could both go to Pine Valley and learn more about Skye, and what happened to her in the past.  I think that if we knew more about her, we'd be able to help her more, Jax.  And there's nothing I'd like to do more.  And, looking at you, I think there's nothing you'd want more either.  So how about it?"

            Last night, Rae had wanted to wring Jasper Jack's neck.  Today, she wanted him to fly with her to Pine Valley and Llanview.

            "You really think you can find a way to help Skye?" Jax asked, the feeling of hope almost leaping from his words.

            "I think _we_ can," Rae corrected.  "I don't know her as well as you do, despite your claims to the contrary.  I would have asked AJ to accompany my quest, but he's too wrapped up in his other activities, and…"  She didn't want to tell Jax that AJ actually thought Roscoe was better for Skye than Jax was, did she?

            "And what?"

            "And," Rae covered, "I think you would do a better job helping me than AJ would.  So will you come with me?"

            To help Skye or to not.  To risk failure or sit by and do nothing.  The choice was obvious.  "So when do we leave?"

*******

About one pm… Erica and Chris's suite in the hotel… 

            "Skye Chandler Quartermaine, I would like to introduce you to Chris Stamp," Erica said proudly.  "Chris, this is Skye."

            "It's a pleasure to meet you," Chris said politely to Skye.  He offered his right hand to Skye, and, after a second of hesitation, Skye accepted it.  "I've heard a lot about you."

            Skye was even more confused now.  She and Erica had never been too close, but now here she was meeting Erica's boyfriend.

            Erica's face grew serious.  The pleasant smile disappeared, giving space to a determined, worried expression.  "Skye, there was a reason why we're here in Port Charles."

            "And it's not to see me, right?" Skye asked.  She had suspected as much.  In the past, she would have felt pangs of rejection, but not anymore, and certainly not from people like Erica Kane.

            "Actually, we are here to see you," Chris announced.  He reached into his pocket and withdrew his federal badge.  "I'm a federal agent, and I'm here working on a drug case."  
  


*******

Docks… 

            Firemen, the police, and ambulances were sprawling all over the place.  The firemen were combating a blazing flame, while emergency crew workers were busily trying to help those who had been caught in the explosion and had been burned.  The police were busy looking for suspects and helping those who needed it.

            Sonny kept to the alleys.  The people he had on the take, as Carly had put it, had already explained to him what had happened.  A big explosion, probably from a bomb, had went off slightly after twelve thirty pm.  It had gone off in an abandoned warehouse, though, and so far the worst sustained injuries had been second-degree burns

            But that was only for the people the police had thus far found.

            Johnny looked up, and upon seeing his boss's approach, he shook his head and bowed his head.

            "What happened?" Sonny demanded.  A quick look-over told him that Johnny had been caught in the blast, but that his injuries were minor and didn't need hospital treatment.

            "Roger," Johnny replied softly.  "He found your son, Mr. Corinthos.  And he called us all to meet here and help him see Michael to safety."

            "I know that," Sonny said impatiently, the disturbing feeling of fear and dread increasing in his stomach.

            "I got here first.  I headed for the warehouse right away, but then there was an explosion.  I flew several feet, and was knocked unconscious.  Benny found me and helped me over here."

            "Roger and Michael?" Sonny demanded, the dread increasing even more.  "What happened to them?"

            "We've tried calling Roger.  But he hasn't answered," Johnny replied, his voice cracking.  Roger had been one of his best friends.  "We're waiting here to see if any bodies are found."

            "The water.  Did anyone check the water?"

            "We didn't find anyone yet," Johnny answered morosely.  "We're searching what we can, but the police keeps getting in the way."

            "Well keep searching," Sonny ordered, his voice filled with demand and control.  He could not and would not break down in front of his men.  Roger had been a trusted and loyal man, and Michael…

            Sonny couldn't stomach the idea that his adoptive son may have died.  He pushed the thought away, and then resumed his role as leader.  He needed to be a pillar of strength, and he couldn't, not now and not ever, show weakness in front of his men.  "I want more men guarding Courtney and Carly," Sonny ordered.

            What if he were never to again hear Michael call out for Uncle Sonny?

*******

Erica and Chris's suite in the hotel… 

            "And you would want to see me because…" Skye trailed off.

            "Skye, I didn't tell you this," Erica said softly, "but Enchantment was being used to smuggle drugs.  That's how Chris and I met."

            "ELQ is not being used to smuggle drugs," Skye said in a voice that meant that no room for argument would be allowed.  "I would swear my life on it."

            "That's because ELQ does not receive or send packages of products anywhere," Erica exclaimed.  "But ELQ will be used in one way or another."

            "Miss Quartermaine," Chris said loudly, before either of the two women in the room could speak again, "before you start defending yourself and ELQ, let me make it clear that we are not here to accuse you of anything."

            "So why are you here?" Skye demanded, her irritation increasing tenfold.

            "Proteus, the person who had been in charge of the drug ring in Pine Valley, cooperated with us, and she told us the head of operations was located in Port Charles.  The group's name was Sorel," Chris informed Skye.  He had his eyes glued to Skye's face as he told Skye this latest bit of news.  "And our sources have told us that a man named Roscoe has recently taken charge of Sorel's gang."

            "So what does that have to do with me?" Skye demanded.  It was innocent until proven guilty.

            "You can't deny that you're involved with this Roscoe character," Erica told Skye, her voice rising above her normal level.  "We know you're seeing Roscoe, and that you're practically living with him."

            How much and how long have the agents been watching her?  "If you knew it," Skye countered angrily, "then why'd you even bother asking me during lunch?"

            "Roscoe could have had men watching you and Erica," Chris explained.  "That's why I stayed out of the way, and that's why Erica pretended to be as clueless as she did."

            "We need you," Erica said gently, her voice calm and soothing, "to help us infiltrate into Roscoe's gang.  We need you to help us bring Roscoe and his men to justice."

            "No," Skye said stiffly.  She wasn't about to give Erica and Chris a reason, and they were just going to have to take her "no" as her final answer.

            "Why not?" Erica exclaimed.

            Because she needed Roscoe to protect both her and AJ.  Because she needed Roscoe to bring Sonny down.  But these were things that Skye had no inclination to share with either Erica or Chris.  "I have my reasons," Skye said vaguely.  "Amongst them, I don't like helping people who pretend to be my friend but only really want to use me."

            "But, Skye, we are friends," Erica sputtered.  "We've fought against your husband, and we-"

            "Erica," Chris interrupted.  He held up a hand, and motioned for her to stop talking.  "Miss Quartermaine, Roscoe will be brought down.  The evidence we have against him and the rest of his group is steadily arising, and it's not a question of if Roscoe will answer to justice, but when."

            "If Roscoe decides to use you or ELQ, and it slips by you unnoticed," Erica spoke up, ignoring Chris's raised hand, "then you will be implicated along with them when Chris and the other agents arrest them.  There will be no evidence or shred of reason for the courts to believe that you had been duped and used by Roscoe.  But if you helped us, Skye, if you helped us out them to prison, and keep the streets safer, you'd- you'd be a hero!  You won't be implicated along with them, and you won't be sent to prison."

            Skye crossed her arms in front of her.  She turned slowly from Erica to Chris as she weighed her options.  In the end, her arrogance and confidence in her business running skills and her desire to see Sonny Corinthos destroyed won out.  "I won't be used, not by you and not by Roscoe."

            "Skye," Erica implored.  "You can't refuse to help us!"

            "I just did," Skye replied softly.  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a business to run.  And, apparently, I'm going to have keep an extra careful eye on ELQ accounts."

*******

Six pm… Carly's house… 

            They had seen the news.  They had heard the reports.  But they had still clung to hope.  They had still clung to the belief that Sonny Corinthos made things happen, and that he and his men could defy anything and everything and come out on top.

            They were wrong.

            Sonny returned to Carly's house as a bruised and tortured soul.  The expression on his face, the lack of a child in his arms… they all pointed to the same thing.

            The two unidentified dead bodies the police had found and the media had reported had indeed belonged to Sonny's man and to Michael Corinthos.

            Michael Corinthos had died.  And he had died because of his connection to Sonny.  It was not Sonny's fault, for it was the fault of those who had kidnapped him, but it was because of Sonny that he had been targeted and killed.

            Carly knew what Michael meant to Sonny.  She knew that her son had always turned to Sonny, and that Michael had trusted Sonny to protect him from his nightmare demons.  But now, Michael was gone and Sonny would never be needed to protect him again.

            She just couldn't face Sonny.  She couldn't stand the smell of burned ashes on him.  She couldn't stand the sight of him.  Instead, Carly turned to Zander, and she sought his shoulder to cry her tears and frustration away.

            Alexis would have been there for Sonny.  She really wanted to be the shoulder that he could lean on, just the way Zander was being for Carly.  But Sonny had other ideas.

            "I need a drink," Sonny said morosely.

*******

Seven pm… Roscoe's… 

            Skye threw her jacket and her purse onto the leather sofa. 

            A folded up note on her drawer beckoned out to her.  Skye picked the note up, unfolded it, and read its contents.

            _Skye, meet me in the guestroom.  Don't make a sound.  -Roscoe_

            "Oh, swell," Skye muttered under her breath.  Roscoe had better not do something stupid like jumping out and scaring her to death.

            Skye left the living room and quickly made her way towards the guestroom. 

Roscoe stood at the doorway.  He was leaning against the door, his arms crossed in front of him.  Without saying a word, he waved a silent greeting to her.

"What-" Skye began to say, before Roscoe clamped his hand strongly against her mouth.

            "Shh," Roscoe whispered, a devious smile on his face.  "I got you a gift, Skye.  It's sleeping right now, but he might wake up if we make too much noise.  So you can't make any sound."

            First Erica, then Chris, and now this?  "I've had a long day," Skye whispered tiredly.  "Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

            Roscoe shook his head.  He took a hold of her hand and led her into the guest room.  Although the lights were already on, it took Skye a minute to see what, or who, Roscoe had been referring to.

            A little redheaded boy, with a handkerchief tied tightly against his eyes, another handkerchief around his ears, and a final one gagging his mouth, laid on the bed.  The handkerchief tied around his eyes was soaked wet.  His arms and legs were strongly tied together with rope.

            "Surprise," Roscoe hissed into Skye's ears.  "I got you your nephew."


	10. Chapter 9: Angel of Darkness

Chapter 9: Angel of Darkness Roscoe's… 

            "What do you mean he's my nephew?" Skye demanded softly.  A part of her wanted to run over to the child, and to release him of his bonds, but another part of her, the reasonable and rational part of her, wanted to wait, get the facts, and then decide on a course of action.

            "He's your nephew, Michael Corinthos," Roscoe said smoothly, his voice slick as oil.  "Your brother's son stolen by Sonny."

            Was Roscoe crazy?  "And you stole him back from him?  You can't just steal Michael from Sonny and hope Sonny doesn't do anything to retaliate," Skye told Roscoe, her voice surprisingly free from the rising fear and uncertainty within her.  "Sonny won't rest until the day Michael is found and back in his and Carly's arms, and then he's going to make sure that Michael is never again kidnapped.  This is suicide!"

            "Trust me," Roscoe said calmly to Skye.  "Corinthos won't be looking for Michael.  He thinks Michael is dead."  
            "Dead?" Skye echoed, the hair on the back of her neck rising.  She had always known that Roscoe was not to be trusted, but she had never imagined he would do something like this.  "And why would he think his son is dead?

            Roscoe smirked.  "You can watch the news when it comes on.  There was an explosion at an old warehouse, and two dead bodies were found: a young boy's and an adult man's."

            "So?"

            "The adult man worked for Corinthos," Roscoe told Skye.  "He contacted Corinthos and the others and told him that the child had been found.  He was right.  A child had been found, but not the one they were looking for."

            A sudden chill swept through Skye's body.

            "The kid did fit Michael's description, but he wasn't Michael.  He was just some street punk with the same description as Michael.  We gave him Michael's clothes, and put a gag and blindfold on him. Corinthos and his men fell for it hook, line, and sinker.  They were positive they had found the right kid.  An explosion later, the bodies are too burned to make a positive identification."

            Who cared if Roscoe had murdered one of Sonny's men?  But Roscoe had killed an innocent boy.  And he had no qualms about it.  He acted as if he had done nothing wrong.  

            "And don't worry about Corinthos hunting us down for revenge," Roscoe said derisively.  "He's too smart to forget that we have Courtney as an open target, and that if he even tries to lift one finger against us…"

            It's going to blow up in our faces.  A whole gang war is about to start, and the next open target is Courtney.  If it comes that far, and Sonny had to be plotting revenge now, then he'd quite possibly focus on AJ, Rinoa, and herself.

            Skye forced a smile to her lips.

            On the bed, Michael twitched in his nightmare-ridden sleep.

*******

Pine Valley… 

            They had left Port Charles immediately and had reached Pine Valley by nightfall.  Rae had instantly taken Jax to a woman named Myrtle Fargate.  The woman, although she was elderly, was of a vivid and energetic nature, and she spent much time talking with Jax.

            And, as Rae had been there facilitating the meeting of these two people, there had been the minimum awkwardness with maximum efficiency.

            "Adam Chandler," Myrtle said, with a wrinkled, disgusted expression on her face, "should be your first stop.  Adam is Skye's adoptive father.  He probably won't know the specifics about Skye's childhood or her relationship with Althea, his ex-wife and Skye's adoptive mother."

            "I've heard that there the relationship had tendencies of abuse and neglect," Rae said, visibly upset.  "But Skye constantly refuses to tell me anything about her past."

            "So how do you know what her relationship with her adopted mother was like?" Jax asked curiously.

            "Word of mouth about Althea's public behavior and attitudes towards her daughter," Rae said through clenched teeth.  "And there have been scattered police reports of family problems between Althea and her daughter.  The police suspected there was abuse, but they never had any proof and they never bothered doing anything to stop it."

            Jax grimaced.  Child abuse and neglect- two key foundations in the beginnings of Skye Chandler Quartermaine.

            "And then there's Hayley and JR," Myrtle added.  "They're Adam's other children.  Hayley and Skye never got along too well.  And Skye had once been accused of kidnapping JR." 

            Skye's life had been anything but boring.  She herself was anything but boring, and Jasper Jacks has known this for quite some time now.

            "Edmund Grey and Tad Martin," Myrtle listed.  "Failed relationships that never even began.  Oh, and Erica Kane.  She's someone you have to meet."  Myrtle loved Erica, and was always telling others how great Erica Kane was.

            "Erica Kane?"

            "Skye's greatest moment, maybe," Myrtle smiled indulgently.  "She teamed up with two other women to bring a criminal to justice.  Skye, Erica, and this other lovely young woman chased this man Jonathan down to the Caribbean and dragged him back to the police."

            Jax smiled broadly.  "I'll have to visit Erica, then."  The idea of Skye and two of her friends chasing after a lawbreaker to bring him back to justice was too amusing.

            Myrtle chuckled softly to herself.  Just wait until this young man discovered that this Jonathan guy had been Skye's husband.  But then, that opened another story completely.

            "Anyone else?" Jax asked.

            "Stuart Chandler, her adoptive uncle," Myrtle answered.  "He's definitely the person to see.  A kinder, gentler man never lived on this planet."

            Rae smiled and nodded her head.  She agreed with Myrtle's assessment completely.  "Well, Jax, you seem like you're in good hands.  I'll leave you with Myrtle, then, and I'll be back as soon as I can."  He needed to return to Llanview and help Viki with her problems.  "When we're done here, we'll just fly over to Llanview and continue our search there."

*******

Nine pm… Sonny's penthouse… 

            They couldn't even give Michael Corinthos a proper burial.  They couldn't claim the bodies, lest the Quartermaines discover the truth and bring up a lawsuit against Sonny for the death of the child.  The charred remains of Michael Corinthos and Roger Cythe, the two dead bodies found in the explosion, remained in police custody as they worked to identify the dead, burned corpses.

            "I talked to Kristina this morning," Alexis announced, interrupting the dead silence that had haunted the penthouse.  "She doesn't understand why, but she's agreed to move to Wyndemere for the time being.  She'll be safe with Nikolas."

            Sonny nodded curtly.  He needed Alexis to stay close, but Kristina would just get in the way.  Sonny's best men, not the ones who were taken by Helena's men, were going to start taking residence in the vacant rooms in Alexis's suite.

            "We've started packing her things, and Nikolas and Gia are going to come by and help her move," Alexis continued softly.

            "I don't want to leave Port Charles," Carly spoke up, suddenly, in a strained voice.  Her eyes were red from crying, and her voice reflected the amount of crying she had done since she had learned the news.  "I don't see why I have to leave Port Charles."

            "Carly, it's not open for discussion," Sonny snapped.  "You'll be safer hiding, and I'll have Johnny and Benny get some good men to watch over you."

            "But-"

            "I will **not** have anyone else getting hurt because of me," Sonny growled.  His first wife had died because of him.  Brenda and Carly had been hurt because of him.  He wasn't about to allow any more danger to come to Carly.

            "Everyone needs to think Michael is still alive," Alexis sighed.  "Carly, you have to pretend you took Michael with you on a trip.  If the Quartermaines found out Michael died, then they'll sue you and Sonny.  And the last thing we need right now is another court case."  All of Sonny's men, besides the ones that would be assigned to Carly, were going to be used for the upcoming showdown with Roscoe.

            "But it's their fault," Carly cried.  "Skye did it.  We all know she got Roscoe to do it."

            That would be the obvious answer.

            "It doesn't matter," Sonny said gravely.  "Carly, you're going, and that's the end of the discussion.  Benny, you and your best men escort her to my private jet, take her to the island, and stay with her until I call you guys back."

            "Carly, don't worry about it," Zander said softly.  "I'll fly down as soon as I'm done.  And then, by the time we return, Sonny will have everything taken care of."

            "We're going to have to assign more men to Courtney, too," Alexis reminded Sonny softly.  Alexis sat down on the back of the couch and rubbed her eyes tiredly. 

Sonny was a man of action.  After one drink of Carly's hardest liquor, he had said a quiet prayer for the soul of his departed son and then had started planning their countermove.

            Courtney had been first and foremost on his mind.  And, with Alexis at his side, the two of them had sought Courtney out.  They had to warn her of the impending danger, but they also couldn't tell her that Michael Corinthos had been murdered.  If Courtney had a hold of that piece of information, she would just relay it to AJ, and then they'd have, as Alexis had said, another trial on their hands.

            Ethically, it was wrong of them to withhold the news of AJ's biological child's death from him.  But, then again, it had been, in all probability, the work of his sister and Roscoe.  How had that saying gone?  If I can't have it, then no one can.  Was that the way they had seen Michael?

            They had found Courtney with AJ and Rinoa.  And she, despite all their cryptic pleas, refused to leave AJ and live with Sonny or Alexis.  Alexis's gentle words had done nothing to help.  Rinoa's advice to trust older brothers did nothing to convince Courtney to listen to him and Alexis.

            "We have to assign more men to Courtney, too," Alexis repeated.

            "I think you should just kidnap her," Carly said sharply.  "It's for her own good."

            "Kidnapping is a federal offense," Alexis snapped back, rising from her seat.  "Kidnapping her will only give the federal agents a valid reason to come after Sonny."

            "The plan stays as is," Sonny said.  He looked at each person in the room: Alexis, Carly, Zander, Johnny, and Benny.  These were his most trusted people, and they were the ones who would help him Michael the peace he deserved.  "Carly leaves.  Alexis, you stay with me and give me your legal expert advice.  Zander, you're in charge of Courtney.  Everyone else, be prepared."  The day of reckoning was finally coming, and, soon, there would be only one gang in town.

*******

Two am… Roscoe's… 

            At the very least, Skye supposed, she should be thankful that she didn't have to worry about AJ finding out about Michael's supposed death.  She had called him tonight, which was unusual as she had been trying to cut all ties with him, and he hadn't suspect anything was wrong with Michael.  Sonny was keeping it quiet, and the media was still clueless as to the identities of the two discovered dead bodies.

            Skye pushed herself up into a sitting position.  She hadn't slept one bit so far.  She had watched Roscoe pass out from all the alcohol he had consumed (plus, he had been tired from all his careful planning to the kidnapping of Michael Corinthos), and she had thought about how unfair life was.

            First, Michael was an innocent bystander here.  He didn't ask to be born to that skank Carly, and he didn't ask Carly to lie and pretend that AJ wasn't his father, and he didn't ask Carly to have Sonny adopt him into his family, making him an easy target for Sonny's enemies, not to mention in the middle of a tug of war battle between the Quartermaines and the Corinthos families.

            … Why was Michael so loved and wanted when no one had wanted her?  Her father, although he had known that Rae had been pregnant with her, had chosen to ignore it.  Her grandfather had arranged for her "faked" death and her adoption that turned into a black market baby sale.  Rae had never admitted to her that she had been her child, and it hadn't been until that accursed Manning man had mockingly thrown her the news.  Althea had been cruel, Adam had been less than loving, Monica had loathed and hated her, and the list went on and on.  And this wasn't even going to the list of failed romances, either.

            So what if Michael had a life filled with love and want, while she had not?  She had been kidnapped from her own mother, and look at what had happened to her life since then.  Lies after more lies, failed relationship after more failed relationships, fear after more fears.  Michael would not go down that path, not while she had a say in it.  Her life would have been so much more different, so much more filled with hope, than the life that she had ended up having.  Why, if she had never been sold or given away… who knows what would have happened?  Everyone's lives, not just hers, would have changed dramatically.  She and Jax could have had a better chance, a… a what?  He would have been involved with Brenda, and she would have been doing something else.

            Her life may have been over, the dice cast and the odds set.  But Michael's life was just beginning, and she wasn't about to let a two-bit hoodlum ruin it.

            "Roscoe," Skye said urgently.  She shook his slumbering body with her two hands.  "Roscoe, wake up!"

            Roscoe mumbled something incomprehensible.

            "Wake up!" Skye said impatiently.  She gave up shaking him and began to hit his chest.  "Roscoe, we have to talk!"

            Roscoe's eyes opened slightly.  They blinked blurrily.  "Skye?" 

            "I want to take Michael out of Port Charles and put him somewhere safe," Skye told him.  "I don't think he's safe here, even if Sonny thinks he's dead."  She's never lied to Roscoe before.  Maybe she didn't tell him the entire truth, and chose to keep some things to herself, but she had never lied to him, either.

            "No one's looking for him," Roscoe mumbled.

            "I know that," Skye said through a clenched jaw.  She had watched the local news, and she had seen exactly what Roscoe had told her had happened.  "But I don't think it's good for my nephew, you know, mentally and emotionally, to be tied up and gagged for so long.  I want him out of Port Charles."

            "Huh?"

            "I've got some people I can trust," Skye said quickly, her eyelashes fluttering like crazy.  "I'll have them take care of Michael and keep him safe until Corinthos is destroyed and we're safe from him.  Okay, Roscoe?"

            Maybe the alcohol affected his decision.  Maybe he had too little sleep in the past few days.  Maybe Skye was just such a gifted liar that he couldn't even tell that Skye was keeping something from him.  Any which way, Roscoe nodded sleepily and turned back into his pillow.  Skye hated Sonny as much as he did, and she wanted Michael for her brother and the Quartermaines, not to return to Corinthos.  There was no reason to believe that she would betray him.

            Skye waited quietly until Roscoe's deep breathing returned, indicating that he was asleep.  She slipped out of bed and, fumbling in the dark, looked for a change of clothes.

*******

Roscoe's guestroom… 

            She could tell Michael was having nightmares.  He was whimpering, and sweat ran down the sides on his blindfold.  And he was calling for Uncle Sonny to come and chase the shadows away.

            Skye sighed.  She stooped down to the boy's level, and gently caressed his forehead.  She kissed the red headed top of her nephew's head, and crooned a soothing song she had heard a friend once sing to her own baby.  Althea Chandler had never done this for her, well, not that she could remember it, but Skye had seen enough movies and shows to know that this was what the child needed.

"Michael," Skye whispered tenderly.  "Michael, wake up."  Skye slipped the handkerchiefs away from Michael's eyes and ears.  She took out the one that had been stuffed in his mouth.  "Michael."

Eyes red from crying slowly opened.  He looked at her with fear, wondering if she would be like the others.

This was the first time she ever looked into her nephew's eyes.  This was the first time he had ever seen her.

"Do you know who I am?" Skye whispered softly.  Had Carly or Sonny taken precautions to warn Michael of all Quartermaines, especially her?

Michael shook his head.  He was too afraid to say anything.

"My name's, uh…" Skye trailed off.  She shouldn't give him her real name, but what name should she give to him?  She had never considered this part in her "grand escape".  Toni?  That was her real name.  Rebecca?  That was the name Rae had wanted to name her daughter.  Jacky?  No, that was too close to Jax's name.  Hayley?  No, she didn't want to use the name of a daughter of the family she been adopted to.  And neither did she want to use Althea, Rae, Monica, or the name of any other person she had met.  Finally…

"My name's Rebecca," Skye told Michael, a lump forming in her throat.  Her name should have been Rebecca, and her life should have been completely different than the one she was leading right now.  "I need you to stay still, because, uh, I have a pair of scissors and I'm going to cut the rope off you.  If you move around too much, I might cut you by accident, okay?  So stay still."

            A minute later, Michael's arms and legs were free.  But scorching red marks from the rope remained on his skin.

            "I'm going to get you out of here and bring you somewhere safe," Skye promised him.  "But there are bad guys all over the place, Michael.   So if we're going to get out safely, I'm going to need you to do everything I say, okay?"

            "Are you taking me back to Mommy?" Michael sniffled.  "I want to go home to Mommy, Uncle Sonny, and Leticia."

            _Uncle Sonny doesn't even live with you.  Why can't you ask for your daddy?_

            "Sorry, but we can't go back there."

            Tears began to well up in Michael's eyes.

            "No, no, no," Skye said quickly, backtracking.  "I mean we can't go there right now.  But we will go back there later, okay?  I'll take you back to your family one day."

            "You promise?"

            "Yeah, I do," Skye smiled reassuringly.  She looked Michael over carefully.  "But we have to get out first.  Does anything hurt?  Can you walk on your own or do you want me to carry you?"

            "I can walk," Michael said softly.

            "Good," Skye beamed at him.  Michael was such a brave little boy.  She offered her hand to Michael, and, without hesitation Michael accepted it.  Skye's heart leaped.  She had never been with a child like this.  She had never been in a situation where the she had to play the angel.

*******

Four am… 

_Port Charles Hotel…_

            "I didn't wake you up, did I?" Skye asked.  She put on her most apologetic smile.

            "No, you didn't," Rinoa said, stifling a yawn.  "I was just watching something on tape."  Rinoa gestured to the television.

            Skye's jaw dropped.  "Oh my God, Rinoa… is this porn?"  On the television screen were two people: a red headed woman and a spiky blond haired man.  The two of them were, through many different angled camera shots, making love.

            "Porn?" Rinoa repeated, outraged.  "Far from it.  It's my favorite soap opera.  See the woman?  Her name is Toni, and she's been in love with that blond guy, Jack, for ages.  But the guy wasn't over his past love, who died in a car crash, and he didn't want to get involved with anyone ever again.  But then Toni almost died in an accident, and Jack realized that he couldn't stand his life without her, and that he was in love with her.  So what you're seeing right now is the couple finally accepting and acting on their true feelings.  And I have been waiting for this to happen for months now.  So do not, Skye, **do not, compare this beautiful scene of love making with some disgusting porn flick."**

            "Okay, fine, I'm sorry I insulted your show and your couple.  But I really need to talk to you, so can you _please_ turn the television off?"

            The urgent tone in Skye's voice totally contrasted the words that had just passed between the two women.  "Sure, Skye," Rinoa said, frowning slightly.  This was exactly the way Skye had sounded earlier when she had called.  The shock of mistakenly thinking that Rinoa was into porn had worn off, and Skye was back to business.  Rinoa picked up the remote control and turned the television off.  She would rewind the tape later and watch it then.

            Michael was sleeping in the new suite she had obtained.  It had been quite a struggle in smuggling Michael into the hotel without anyone seeing him, but the work had been worth it.

"Listen to me very carefully, Rinoa.  There are high stakes here, and I need you to do exactly as I say."

            "Did that Roscoe guy do something to you?" Rinoa asked suspiciously, her anger flaring.  "Is he threatening you?"

            "No, and that's all you have to know," Skye answered vaguely.  "You can't tell anyone, not AJ, Courtney, Monica, no one, Rinoa, what I'm about to tell you.  You got it?"

            "You're really starting to scare me now."  _Well, maybe not scare.  Worry and intrigue, yes, but scare, no.  Cassadines don't scare easily._

            "I need you to go to the mansion tomorrow, to the Quartermaines," Skye instructed Rinoa.  "I don't care how you do it, just make sure you don't mention my name, but ask about the other family members.  Look at photo albums or something.  Whatever.  But make sure that Monica tells you about Emily."

            "Emily?"

            "I'm not going to tell you anything about Emily right now," Skye continued.  "You'll find out about her tomorrow.  I need you to get Monica to take you to Emily.  And you have to see her as soon as possible, by the day after tomorrow if possible.  And then I need you to deliver this letter to her from me."  Skye took the letter out from her purse.  "None of the Quartermaines, none of them, can find out I asked you to do this, Rinoa.  If they find out, they won't take you to her."  No, they'd be too suspicious on why a person allied with Roscoe and Sorel had such an interest in Emily.

            Rinoa hesitantly took the letter from Skye's hands.  She fingered it lightly in her hands.  "What's going on, Skye?"

            "I can't tell you," Skye shook her head.  "But trust me, Rinoa.  This is very important.  I've given much thought to it, and this is the only solution I can come up with."  She couldn't go to Jax and ask for help.  He was too loyal to Carly and would ruin everything.  Besides, she had checked with the front desk and they had told her that Mister Jacks had left for an indefinite amount of time.  It was insanity to ask the Quartermaines for help and to admit to them that she had Michael.  There was still Chris Stamp and the other federal agents, but Skye had other plans for them.  Emily was the best answer she had come up with, and she couldn't possibly refuse helping her nephew, could she?

            "Promise me?" Skye asked pleadingly.  "Go to the Quartermaines, ask about other family members, beg to be taken to Emily immediately, deliver this letter to her from me but make sure no one knows about it except for Emily.  Oh, and give me your cell phone and tell Emily to call me on your phone."

            "What in the world is going on?" Rinoa asked, her confusion increasing even more.  "Skye, if you're in trouble, I really think you should go to the police.  Or at least tell me or Alan or AJ what's going on."

            "I'm not in trouble," Skye said resolutely.  "I'm in charge, Rinoa, and I'm fine.  But I need you to do these simple things for me, okay?  Can you do it for me, Rinoa?"

            Rinoa chewed her lower lip.  She carefully studied Skye's demeanor and expression.  Skye was desperate, despite her claims of the opposite.  "Fine," Rinoa agreed.  "I'll do it tomorrow morning."  Her marathon viewing of her favorite soap was going to have to take a backseat as she now needed to go to sleep and prepare for her newest charade with the Quartermaines.

            Gratefully, impulsively, Skye hugged her brother's sister.  Skye's plans were officially still on track.

            Now all she had to do was get Rinoa's cell phone, call Chris Stamp and tell him she had changed her mind.  Roscoe had crossed the line when he had kidnapped the two children and then had one of them killed.  Kids were innocent, and, like how she had disapproved of AJ's seduction of Courtney, Skye disapproved of what Roscoe had done to Michael and the other boy.  AJ, she loved, Roscoe she despised but needed.  AJ did not kill his "victim", but Roscoe had killed his.  AJ had since learned the error of his ways and really did want a relationship with Courtney, but Roscoe hadn't learned a thing… not yet, at least.

            The federal agents would have a field day with Roscoe and his men.  She would get off scot-free.  There was only one problem: Sonny.

            Sonny probably wouldn't be destroyed anymore.  But, undoubtedly, the man now felt empty now that he thought his adopted kid had died.  He was probably in Hell right now, along with that witch Carly, and that could be considered a pretty good shot at revenge in itself.

            But, even better, one day, the Corinthos's will find out that she had been the one who had saved little Michael.  They would find out that she had been their angel, and they would be indebted to her.  But that would come the day when Roscoe and his scummy men were in prison.


	11. Chapter 10: A Sisterly Reunion

Chapter 10: A Sisterly Reunion Four days later… Silver Springs Rehabilitation Center… 

            Monica Quartermaine does not cry easily.  She becomes angry easily, threats come to her mouth without hesitation, and snorts of derision and ridicule were never far from her nose.  But tears?  Rarely.

            It's only been four days, but Monica has already shed more tears in this short time period than all in the past six months.  Her two daughters had finally been reunited.  And, just as Monica had prayed and expected, the two had bonded beautifully.  Rinoa had been incredibly sensitive, without becoming patronizing, to Emily's confined condition.  And Emily had been open to the idea of having a long lost sister, unlike the way she had been to Skye.

            "Are you sure?" Monica asked sadly, wishing they would respond in the negative.  She didn't want to return to Port Charles alone, with both daughters remaining back at the center.  "I can stay if need me."

            "We're fine, Mom," Emily reassured her mother.  "Rinoa and I just want some time catching up.  You know, talking and doing sisterly things."

            "Yeah, you know, sisterly time," Rinoa grinned.  She placed her left am around the back of her sister's wheelchair.

            Monica sighed.  She wished she would be invited to stay, but that didn't seem like it was going to happen.  "Okay, I have to return to the hospital, anyway."  Sour grapes, really.  If her daughters had insisted on her staying, she would have stayed.  "Rinoa?  When are you headed back?"

            "I'll be back in Port Charles by the weekend," Rinoa promised.

*******

Pine Valley… Enchantment Enterprises…             Despite Myrtle's advice to start with Adam Chandler, Jax had decided to see Adam Chandler last.  First on his list had been Hayley Vaughan Santos.  The way Jax figured it, he would first get to know Hayley and then ask Hayley to set up a family dinner where he could be invited.  All the Chandlers, from Stuart to Adam, from JR to Hayley, and their respective core families would be invited.  That is, Stuart's wife, Hayley's husband and child, and JR's mother, had all been invited. 

With Myrtle at his side, Hayley had been more than willing to listen to Jax and speak to him about her sister Skye.  Unfortunately, she hadn't been of much help.  Back when Skye had lived with the Chandlers, Hayley had had her own problems, and these personal problems combined with Skye's personal problems had helped escalate their mutual dislike for the other.

What had been interesting, though, was that both Skye and Hayley had mothers who had been less, much less, extremely less, ideal.

            After their first meeting, which had happened the day after he and Rae had arrived at Port Charles, Hayley had the Chandler dinner set up, and this was to happen tomorrow tonight, a few days after their initial meeting.

            With the Chandler dinner set up, Jax could focus his attention on the other people Myrtle had directed him to in Pine Valley.  Edmund Grey had been, to say the very least, less than willing to share any information he had on Skye.  And he had something big, too.  But Edmund hadn't been willing to divulge his past with Skye, and the only information he would give to Jax about Skye was information that Jax had already known: Skye would rise, or stoop, to any level to obtain her goal.

            After Edmund, came another male resident of Pine Valley: Tad Martin.  Unfortunately, Tad Martin was too concerned about his own problem to discuss Skye.  He did have this one interesting tidbit of information, however: Skye had once been struck by lightening.

            Undoubtedly, Adam Chandler, along with his brother, would have the best insights into Skye's character.  And whatever information they had on Skye was going to be better and more interesting and more in-depth than the combined stories Jax had thus far collected on Skye.

            _Thus far_, though.

            Jax glanced at the giant clock on the wall behind the desk of the main secretary of Enchantment Enterprises.  He had five more minutes to wait until his scheduled appointment with Erica Kane was to begin.

*******

Silver Springs Rehabilitation Center… 

            "I thought she'd never leave," Emily chuckled.  "I mean, I love Mom and everything, but, every time she visits me, I feel smothered."

            Rinoa sat down on Emily's bed.  "I'm not going to argue," Rinoa agreed quietly.  She and Emily hadn't had a minute's peace to themselves until now, unfortunately.  And, as that had been the case, Rinoa hadn't had the chance to talk to Emily about Skye, let alone give her the letter.

            As it turned out, Rinoa didn't even have to bring the subject up.  Emily did.

            "How is Skye?" Emily asked softly.  "I know Mom doesn't like talking about her, so I didn't ask about her when Mom was here.  Is she alright?"  Come to think of it, no one in her family had been mentioning Skye's name in front of her.

            "Not well," Rinoa said openly.  She shook her head slightly, and a huge frown formed on her face.  "In fact, I'd say very badly."

            "What happened?" Emily asked worriedly.  Although Monica had insisted that Skye had tried to help her and Zander **only** for Skye's own secret agenda, Emily had refused to believe her mother's claim.  Skye had looked out for her and Zander, something that no one else in her family had been willing to do.

            "She wrote a letter to you," Rinoa said, leaving Emily's question hanging unanswered.  "She wanted me to give this to you right away, but I couldn't with Mom watching our every move."  Rinoa pulled out the sealed letter from her shoulder bag and handed it to Emily.  "And she wants you to call her as soon as you read this letter and decide what to do."

            Emily leaned forward and took the letter from Rinoa. She held it tentatively in her hands, almost afraid of the contents within.

*******

Pine Valley… Enchantment Enterprises…             Her initial thought had been that Skye was in deep trouble, and that it had been all her and Chris's fault.  She knew who Jasper "Jax" Jacks was, both by his reputation in business and by his connection to Skye Chandler Quartermaine.  Although she knew of him through these two different ways, she was, due to her working with Chris on the drug case, much more familiar with his history to Skye rather than with his business history. 

            But, note, that thought that Skye was in trouble, had been her _initial_ thought.  And Myrtle, the one who had set this meeting up between her and Jax, who has always been quick to read Erica's thoughts and facial expressions, had been swift to explain to Erica the reason why Jax had wanted to see her.  Jax was here on his own- Skye had not sent him.  Jax was here without Skye's knowledge, and he was here to find out more about the mystery named Skye Chandler Quartermaine.

            Erica smiled warmly at the man sitting across of her.  Why in the world had Skye decided to sacrifice her relationship with this man for the rat like Roscoe?  That was what Erica wanted to know, but she couldn't let her visitor know that she knew so much about Skye's life.  No, Erica had to play the ignorant friend.

"So when are you going to see Adam Chandler?" Erica asked curiously.  She rested her elbows on her desk, and clasped her hands together.  It was safe to ask a question like this, for Myrtle had been the one who had told her that Jax was here to gather information about Skye.

            "Tomorrow night," Jax replied, smiling.  "Hayley and Stuart convinced all the Chandlers to have dinner together then, with me as their special guest."  Hayley Vaughan Santos, although definitely not her adopted sister's biggest fan, had been more than eager and willing to set up the informal Chandler dinner.  And then, the morning after the Chandler dinner, Jax was going to catch the first flight to Llanview to rendezvous with Rae.

            "Adam will be the most helpful, I'm sure," Erica told Jax.  "Out of everyone in Pine Valley, Skye respected and revered Adam the most."

            That had been what Jax had heard from everyone else he had already met and talked to.  And, if memory served correctly, that had also been one of the people that Skye had once proudly boasted she had met and challenged: Adam Chandler, Asa Buchanan, and Todd Manning.  But then, Jax had belittled her conquests by saying that Sonny Corinthos was much more than any one of those men.

            Erica smiled invitingly at Jax.  "So what do you want to know about Skye?  And, remember, I'm not going to give away any damning secrets about the woman.  So ask your questions wisely."

            Jax grinned broadly.  "I heard the most amusing story about three women taking a plane down to the Caribbean to bring a criminal back to justice.  Care to comment, Erica?"

            "Three women, the Caribbean," Erica repeated.  Suddenly, her eyes widened and brightened, and a glorious smile filled her face.  "Jonathan Kinder!"

            "That was the name I heard," Jax said eagerly.  He had waited for a few days now to hear this promising tale.

            "It was, it was… incredible," Erica said enthusiastically, her smile broadening.  "I could never get tired of telling this story.  You see, Skye, one day, she left Pine Valley to go to a counseling center and work on getting certified as a drug counselor.  A few years later, this man, a doctor named Jonathan Kinder, came to Pine Valley with his wife named Skye, except now she was going by her first name Toni."

            "Toni's not Skye's first name," Jax said, a confused look on his face.  He and Skye had signed several ELQ documents together now, and in each document her name had always been Skye Chandler Quartermaine, not Toni Skye Chandler Quartermaine or Toni Chandler Quartermaine.

            "Skye's her middle name," Erica informed Jax.  "Toni, or, Antoinette, rather, is Skye's real first name."

            "Antoinette?"  And here he had thought he had a weird first name.

            "I heard that Adam and his first wife, Althea, had been planning on naming all their children with names that started with the letter A," Erica chuckled.  "I've heard and seen it done in other families, so it's not too unusual."

            Heck, that was what it had been like in his family.  Except, it had been slightly compounded because the family name had also started with the same letter J.

            "Skye must have had her name legally changed," Jax told Erica.  "We've signed business papers together, and she's always signed with the name Skye Chandler Quartermaine."

            Erica frowned slightly.  "Why do you think she changed it?  Because she didn't like the name?"

            Or maybe it had been because she had found out that she was an adopted Chandler, and had decided that she didn't deserve the name that started with the letter A.  But then that wouldn't explain why she hadn't dropped the name Chandler.  Maybe it had been a combination of disliking her first name and the realization that she was an adopted Chandler.  Or maybe her adopted mother Althea had some role in Skye's dislike for her given first name.

            "Well, whatever the reason," Erica shrugged her shoulders.  "Skye had hidden incriminating evidence that her husband was running some illegal drug experiments, but Jonathan knew about it.  So he kept her locked up in a church attic, and he injected or fed her drugs that kept her in a dizzy comatose state.  This woman, Janet Green, found out what Jonathan was doing to Skye, and when she tried to help Skye, Jonathan took her prisoner and kept her locked up with Skye.  But he didn't have the necessary amount of drugs to immobilize Janet the way he had done to Skye.  Janet helped Skye break through the drug's haze, and then the two of them broke free."

Erica smiled.  This was where she came in.  She leaned forward in her seat.  "They told me what had happened with Jonathan, who everyone knew had some sort of weird obsession with me, and the three of us went to get the evidence to imprison Jonathan.  But then he came after us," Erica laughed, although she distinctly remembered the fear all three women had felt that day, "and had us cornered in the attic.  But then my friend Dimitri realized what was going on, and he came and rescued us all."

In Skye's terminology, Dimitri would be the white knight.

Erica frowned.  There were some parts of this story that she didn't want to tell to Jax, a man she barely knew.  She didn't want to admit to him that she and Janet had tried to hide Jonathan's "death", after he had fallen down the flight of stairs, by burying him in Erica's backyard.  Jax didn't have to know that, and, besides, it had nothing to do with Skye.

"Jonathan fled to the Caribbean, and Skye, Janet, and I tracked him down and dragged him back to Pine Valley to pay for all the crimes he committed against Skye, Janet, myself, and, of course, for his drug experiments," Erica smiled.

For all Skye's comments and claims about wanting white knights, she often proved that she had no need for them.  Even now, in Erica's story, although Skye had needed some assistance, in the end, she had been part of the team that had brought the guy back to justice.  She hadn't needed to rely on a white knight to do the work for her.  "Tell me," Jax said, his eyes twinkling, "when the three of you were fighting this Jonathan fellow, did Skye ever flip the man onto his back, or throw him to the ground?"

"Like kung fu?" Erica asked uncertainly.  "Like in those Jackie Chan movies?"

"Kind of.  It doesn't have to be that fancy, though.  Just, you know, regular self-defense moves you can learn in self-defense classes."

Erica shook her head.  "No, she didn't throw or flip the guy or anything.  Like I said, we were backed up into a corner, and Jonathan had a knife or something.  Dimitri, my friend but a guy Skye didn't really care for, had to save us.  After that, Skye swore that she'd take some self-defense classes so that she'd never have to rely on a loser like Dimitri to save her."  Erica's eyes sparkled as she caught on to Jax's question.  "Why?  Did she ever surprise you and throw you to the ground?"

"More than twice," Jax admitted, laughing.  Although, once, he had been instructing her step-by-step how to throw him off.  Of course, neither he nor Skye had been too uncomfortable with the positions that they had been in.

Erica laughed alongside with him.  "If there's one thing I can say about Skye, it's that when she puts her mind to something, she does it."

The guilt and worry that Erica had been carrying the last few days of having intimidating Skye to work with the federal agents and betray Roscoe lightened.  Skye was perfectly capable of taking care of herself when the going got rough, and, if got really rough, Chris would be there to provide all the assistance that she may need.

Jax, also, felt better after having this conversation with Erica.  Although, undoubtedly, Adam was the person who possessed the most pieces of the puzzle, Erica had provided some key pieces and insights to Skye's character.

            After this talk with Erica would be the main event: the evening with the Chandlers.  After that, a visit to Llanview to meet other people in Skye's past.

*******

Silver Springs Rehabilitation Center… 

            It was as if Skye had been there herself, relaying her message and begging for Emily's help.  The words in her letter had an urgent feel to it.  Emily could literally feel and see the panic Skye had possessed as she had written the letter.

            First of all, Emily knew what Skye's handwriting was.  And this, the letter, had been written quickly, with little care and thought to grammatical structure.  Words were misspelled, words and phrases were crossed off throughout the letter, all evidence of the rush Skye had been in as she had given the letter life.

            Secondly, Skye was practically begging in this letter.  In fact, she used those very words, and even evoked the image of her on the floor, on her hands and knees, asking Emily for this one favor.

            Thirdly, of all things, Skye had betrayed AJ.  Although Skye and AJ hadn't been on good terms when Emily had left Port Charles, through telephone calls and e-mail, Courtney had learned that Skye and AJ had become close friends.  Yet, in her letter, Skye had betrayed AJ, and had written the truth to the events that had led up to AJ's signing away the rights of his child.  Zander hadn't pinned AJ to the ground and forced alcohol down his throat.  Zander may have witnessed it, and he may have failed in backing up AJ's story to the police, but he hadn't been the one who had forced AJ's downfall, either.

            Fourthly, even though Skye knew what had happened between Emily and Zander, and how she had purposely lied to him and broke his heart, all under the false belief that AJ had been telling the truth, Skye was asking the unthinkable: she wanted Emily to get Zander to do a favor for Skye.  That asked Emily to go back to the man whose heart she had broken (although it had broken her own heart to lie to him), to ask him to help a woman he couldn't stand.

            Skye was in deep trouble, whether or not Rinoa wanted to admit it.  And, the last time Emily had been in trouble, Skye had been there to help her.  Yeah, maybe Skye had her own motives to help Emily and Zander.  But that didn't mean that Skye's intentions didn't have some purity in it.  And, that didn't mean that Emily's intentions needed to be crystal water pure, either.

            "Rinoa," Emily spoke up, "what's your cell phone number?"

*******

ELQ Office… 

            Skye's fingers nervously brushed against the buttons on the keyboard.  Emily had called her, and had confirmed Zander's agreement to meet her.  Luckily, he has been, for the last few days, trailing Courtney and trying to "talk some sense" into her.  Apparently, out of all Sonny's men, Zander was the one Courtney had bonded the best with.  But then Zander's decision to attack AJ at the opening of Club 101 had forced Courtney to re-evaluate her opinion of Zander, and Zander now stood only slightly above and better than the others who belonged to the "Sonny Cult".

            There was no other quick way to get the amount of money she would need.  She couldn't ask AJ or Alan.  And there was no time at the moment, and she needed the money badly.

            Resolutely, Skye signed the slip of paper, giving her permission as CEO to withdraw two million dollars from ELQ accounts.

*******

Silver Springs Rehabilitation Center… 

            "No way," Rinoa said resolutely, her head violently shaking and her arms waving.  "Pout and cry as much as you want Emily, but the answer is no."

            "And why not?" Emily demanded, her pleading, pitiful look vanishing instantly.  "There's no reason why you shouldn't agree."

            Rinoa stared at Emily in shock.  "I don't want to sound rude or anything, Emily, but aren't you forgetting one major thing?  Like, you can't walk.  And that's one heck of a reason why my answer is no."

            Emily shook her head in disgust.  "Because I can't walk?  Rinoa, I wouldn't ask unless I was able to walk."  And then, in front of a very astonished Rinoa, Emily stood up, walked forward, and lifted and flexed each leg in turn.  "As you can see, Rinoa, I am perfectly capable of walking."

            "But... how?  Mom said you were paralyzed and that you couldn't walk," Rinoa said slowly, the wheels in her brain turning.

            "I regained feelings in my legs last December," Emily told Rinoa crossly.  "I've been working with physical trainers to get my legs back to full shape.  I was keeping it secret so that I could surprise everyone this Christmas."

            Rinoa said nothing- she was speechless.

            "My legs work perfectly, Rinoa, so there's no reason why I shouldn't go, is there?"

            "It wouldn't work," Rinoa pointed out, her voice tired.  The more she talked with Emily, the more worried she became about Skye.  "Your parents will find out you left, and then they're going to pull out all the stops and search for you, Emily.  And if they find you with Skye, they're going to assume the worst and throw her into prison for kidnapping."

            "It wouldn't be kidnapping because I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions.  Besides," Emily looked away, "I don't plan on staying with Skye."

            Rinoa sighed and shook her head.  She looked up, as if looking into the Heavens for guidance.  "Do I even want to ask who you'll be with?"

            "Will you help me?" Emily countered.  "Don't even worry about the doctors here, Rinoa.  Tell them that you're moving me for my own safety, and tell them, for safety reasons, that they can't tell anyone I left.  They'll listen to us, Rinoa.  There's no reason why they wouldn't."

            Rinoa inhaled deeply.  It would be a piece of cake for her to use her Cassadine connections to get Emily out and make it so that no one was the wiser, and so that neither Monica or Alan or any of the other Quartermaines ever grew suspicious.  But her Cassadine connection was supposed to remain secret, and Rinoa simply didn't trust Emily enough to confide in her about her birthright.  If Emily wanted out, they were going to have to play it her way.

            "So what do you suggest?" Rinoa asked hesitantly.  "And how do you want to get there?"

*******

The following night… Pine Valley… 

_Chandler Estate…_

            The dinner had been pleasant, the family gathering had been civil, and no food had been flung.  The Chandlers were definitely not as bad as the Quartermaines, even though many of the Chandlers couldn't stand each other.

            Adam Chandler was a very shrewd man.  He still had high ambitions, although he had already accomplished much, and planned on achieving more accolades and business acquisitions in the near future.  He had spies working everywhere, even in Port Charles, and he knew exactly who this man Jax was and what his relationship to Skye had been.  And although he also knew of the situation Skye had gotten herself into, his knowledge was only superficial.  But he trusted and believed in his daughter.  Like Hayley, Skye was an independent woman who had the capabilities to cope with the greatest of tragedies and conquer the toughest of foes.  It was like what he had said to Skye about a year ago.  _You can cope with anything these people throw at you.  Anything, because you're tough and you're smart and you know what you have to do and how to do it._

            "You wanted to speak to me privately?" Jax asked.

            Adam was a sharp businessman.  He always went after what he wanted, even if he had to undertake an underhanded method.  And he always took the quickest and surest route to success.  This time was no different.  He had other business to attend to, but Skye was his daughter and deserved his attention.

            Adam Chandler would do anything to protect his children.  Like Erica, Adam would take the suspicion for crimes committed, although he would always ensure to it that there would be no way to prove him guilty of that crime.

            In the past, he had dealt with both Skye's and Hayley's psychological mothers.  Although it had turned out that Skye was not his biological daughter, at the time, he had honestly thought that she was.  To protect his daughter, the one he had wrongly assumed was of his flesh and blood, he had permanently eliminated the one who had been hurting her the most: her then mother, Althea.  And, although he had been a prime suspect for her death, and had even been accused of murder by Skye, it had ultimately been ruled as accidental.  He had taken the heat for the supposed death of Arlene, Hayley's mother.  And, as for JR, he had put his marriage to Liza on the line and had seduced the judge that had been presiding over JR's case.

            That was the way Adam Chandler was.  That was the way Adam Chandler still is.  If Skye was in trouble with this Roscoe character, and she was struggling to free herself from him and his people, and it seemed as if she really needed help, and that there as no way she was going to get out on her own, Adam would be there in a heartbeat.  Adam and his men would do what they had to do to protect Skye.  But, as he trusted her and wanted her to prove to herself and to the world around her that she could handle everything on her own, Adam was, for now, opting to stay out of his daughter's business.  He would protect her when she needed it, but not a moment sooner.  He wanted his children to be of hardy dispositions, and that meant he couldn't baby them and hover around constantly checking for imminent danger.

            But, it still was his job to see to her physical protection and good health.  And it was also his job to see to her happiness.  And the last time he and Skye had seen each other, she had been as miserable as can be.

            That was something Adam wanted to make sure Skye wasn't.

*******

Port Charles Hotel… 

_Skye's new suite…_

            "Now it's very, very important that you stay quiet as a mouse, and you stay hidden back here," Skye instructed Michael.  "Someone's going to come and visit us soon, and, if you want to play the game and win it, you have to stay hidden until I tell you to come out, okay, Michael?"

            "Okay," Michael nodded.  "Do you think we're going to win the game?" 

            Skye smiled faintly.  "Maybe.  But, remember, Michael, the game depends on you and this other man.  We win if you stay hidden until I tell you time's up, and that the guy lost because he couldn't find you in time.  He wins if he finds you before I tell him time's up."

            "Should I hide in the suitcase again?" Michael asked, a sneaky grin on his face.  "We tricked everyone when we did that last time."  Rebecca had even used a fake name, Skye, to sneak them into their room.  She said the guy coming would refer to her with that other name, too, but that it was all okay because it was a part of the game.

            "No, no, no," Skye said lightly.  "This time, you only have to hide in the other room.  If he guesses the right room to look for you, then he wins.  Got it, Michael?"

            "Got it," Michael beamed.  He had been cooped up in this room for too long, and he was glad that Rebecca was going to let him play his friend.  Rebecca hadn't specified who she had invited to play the game, but she did promise that it was someone Michael liked.

            The door to the suite knocked.

            Skye put her index finger to Michael's giggling lips, and then quietly urged him to hurry and hide in one of the other rooms.  With stifled laughter, Michael quietly ran towards Rebecca's bedroom.

            Skye watched Michael's body intently.  If she saw any trace of him peeking out of the hallway, she would march towards him and remind him they wanted to win the game.  But he was gone- he really was hiding.

            Skye took a deep breath.  He couldn't and wouldn't say "no" to her, right?  He had promised Emily he would help her.

            A few more knocks were heard coming from the door.

            Skye counted to three slowly.  And then she walked towards the door and opened it.  Zander Smith stood on the other side.

*******

Pine Valley… 

            What would be the best way to describe his private conversation with Adam Chandler?  Surreal?  Bizarre?  Helpful yet malicious?

            Adam had definitely been threatening him, although it had been veiled and disguised.  It sort of reminded Jax of the way Sonny worked, and the way Sonny implied certain things would come to pass unless the person stopped acting the way he had been acting.

            Under his white hair, within the aged body and the wrinkled skin, lurked a ruthless, vital man.  He wasn't like Edward who, despite his threats and comical maliciousness, would never intentionally physically harm another.  Adam Chandler was a man who made good on his threats, and he was a man who loved his children, whether or not they were related to him by blood.  To protect his children, he would eliminate the ones that would harm them.  And that had been exactly what Adam Chandler had conveyed to Jax: hurt his daughter one more time, and Jax was a dead man.

            But, after that had been properly brought up and communicated across, Adam had turned his attention to the next order of business.  Jax now knew that harming his daughter again would equate to Adam's wrath, so, if the man was really as smart as Fortune magazine made him out to be, then he'd know better than to ever hurt her again.  It was time to give Jax information to help his daughter.  If Jax decided to use the information to further hurt her, well, he had been informed of the consequences.

            And so the information sharing had begun.  And Adam Chandler was filled with information on Skye.  Although, he didn't share everything he knew about his daughter with Jax.  Some things, like the real reason to the death of Althea Chandler, were better left unsaid.

            But, as some things were better left unsaid, some things were better said.

            Skye had an identity problem.  Adam knew it, Rae knew it- everyone who was with Skye when she had learned she had been adopted knew it.

_Adam: If I didn't come before, it's because I- I trusted you to be able to take care of yourself.  Sweetheart I know- I know you feel vulnerable right now.  But you can cope with anything these people throw at you.  Anything, because you're tough and you're smart and you know what you have to do and you do it._

_Skye: Because I'm a Chandler.  Because I'm my father's daughter.  Right daddy?_

            Skye wouldn't believe that she didn't have to be a Chandler to be everything that she had already proven herself to be.  She had been, as Adam had claimed, tough, smart, motivated, and determined to succeed.  And, contrary to her thinking, it hadn't been because of the blood within her, but because of who she was.

Skye: Do you remember… I was little and I knocked that crystal ashtray off the table?

Adam: No, I'm sorry, I don't.

Skye: You know, it got chipped.  It was this little nick and it was so tiny, you couldn't even see it.  But you, oh my God, you threw a fit and you tossed it out and you said that's damaged goods.  I don't keep damaged goods.  Well, you know what?  That's what I am- damaged goods.  A baby stolen from Rae Cummings by your drunken lunatic ex-wife.

            According to Skye's definition, she's been "damaged goods" ever since she had been a baby, a baby stolen from its mother.  And her childhood, the one with the drunken lunatic ex-wife, couldn't have done anything to help her status.

Skye: This man is not my father.  And you are not my mother.  I have no parents.  I have nobody.  I am nobody.

            Was that why she had dropped her name of Antoinette?  Did she think she was only an adopted Chandler, worth only half an identity?  Adam had said that Skye had dropped her name soon after the truth of her adoption had come out.

            There was much more to the mystery that surrounded Skye, and to solve that mystery, he would have to go to Llanview.  Rae had already called and told him that she had found out quite a few interesting tidbits of Skye's stay in Llanview, and that she couldn't wait until Jax came over and learned about it himself.

*******

Skye's new suite… 

            "What do you want, Skye?" Zander asked impatiently.  Emily's call had been a painful reminder of the past, one that he had thought he had buried but was now quickly returning to haunt him.

            "I need you to do me a favor," Skye said, careful to keep her voice soft.  She didn't want Michael to overhear her story and piece the words to her story together incorrectly.

            Zander scoffed.  "Skye, why would I want to do that?"  The private memorial service they had held for Michael Corinthos still burned in his memory.

            "Because you told Emily you'd help me," Skye reminded him.  "You promised her."

            "But," Zander smirked, "I'm not breaking my promise.  In my definition, to have you thrown into prison for murder, and to separate you from those who would help you hurt others, that is helping you.  That is me saving you from yourself."  That was something Alexis and Sonny had taught him- to twist words around so that he wasn't lying but merely redefining the terms and his interpretation of them.

            Skye resisted the urge to turn around and look towards her room.  Her voice was kept soft, but Zander was talking at an audible tone.  "I did not kill anyone," Skye denied angrily.

            And now it was Zander's turn to hesitate.  Was Skye telling the truth, and she really didn't know about Michael's death, or was she faking it?

            "Now, I really need your help," Skye said through gritted teeth.  She hated asking people for help, and the thought of asking help from someone like Zander, one of Sonny's lackeys and one of the biggest members of the Carly Corinthos fan club, made her ill.  But she had no choice.  She needed Zander, Michael needed Zander.  "Will you give me your help, my definition of your help, not yours, or will you not?"

            "You're not going to get me to promise you something I have no clue about."

            Skye stared at him suspiciously, and he returned her stare of suspicion with one of his own.  The minutes passed quietly between them, both distrustful of the other's motives and of the actions the other would take.

            Finally, it was Skye who broke down and gave in.  She didn't have the time to play a battle of wills with him.  Without taking her weary eyes off Zander, Skye turned slightly to the side.  "Michael!  The game's over, you can come out now."

            From the main room, both Skye and Zander could hear furniture being pushed and the sound of a chuckling boy getting to his feet and running out.

            "We won!" Michael cheered.  With his hands and arms raised, he ran towards Skye/Rebecca.

Skye returned the look of joy on Michael's face, and bent down slightly.  Michael stopped directly in front of Skye, with his hands held up near his chin level.  Skye smiled back at him, although her smile was not genuine and was tainted with worry.  Zander was shocked, to say the very least.  She clasped Michael's hands with her own.  "You did win, Michael.  Look at Zander, he's shocked that he lost."

            That did it.  A hard look dawned in Zander's eyes, a look that was filled with fury and disbelief.  "Michael, get away from her," Zander ordered roughly.  Zander took a few steps towards Michael and pulled him away from Skye.  "I don't know what you're trying to pull Skye, but, whatever it is, forget about it."

            Skye rolled her eyes.  "If you would just give me a minute to explain-"

            Michael pushed Zander's arm away.  "Leave Rebecca alone," Michael said in a purposely low-pitched voice.  He physically placed himself between Zander and Skye.

            "Rebecca?" Zander mocked.  "Michael, this woman's name is not Rebecca.  It's Skye, and she hates your mommy and Sonny."

            "No she doesn't," Michael said stubbornly.  He liked Zander and everything, but Zander hadn't saved him the way Rebecca had.  "She told everyone her name is Skye so that she could help me run away from the bad guys."

            "The bad guys?"

            "Zander, if you'd just let me explain," Skye said impatiently, "then I can tell you everything.  I didn't kidnap Michael, and I didn't plan on faking his death and I-"

            Zander whipped out his cell phone.  "Save your breath, Skye.  I'm not buying any more of your lies."

            "Who are you calling?" Skye asked, horrified.  "You can't call Sonny or Carly.  You'll ruin everything!"

            "Good," Zander retorted.

            "Zander!" Michael growled softly.  "Listen to Rebecca and don't call them."  Rebecca had said that his mom and Uncle Sonny would be hurt if he went back to them right now.  "Don't call them, Zander."

            "I don't know what kind of lies she filled your head with," Zander glared at Skye.  "But don't worry, kiddo, Mom and Uncle Sonny will take care of her."

            And then…

            "Skye!  Open up!" Rinoa called out.  She banged her fists on the door.  "I need to talk to you right away."

            "Oh, good," Zander smiled.  "A witness."

            "No!  Don't let her in!" Skye shouted.  The last thing she needed was another person involved with this mess.  How did Rinoa even know which room in the hotel was hers?  If Skye had the power to, she'd fire the entire concierge department for incompetence.

            But why would Zander listen to Skye?  He opened the door.  "Rinoa, do you have any idea what your sister… Emily."  Zander stared in shock at the two women standing in front of him.

            Emily was as speechless as Zander.  It's been so long since they've seen each other, so long since they've been so close they could practically touch…


	12. Chapter 11: The EZ Solution

Chapter 11: The EZ Solution 

            Time had frozen. No, it had more than frozen.  It had frozen, taken them back in time, and reminded them of what should have been.  And Emily was the first to react to it, she was the first to break its spell.

            "Zander!" Emily exclaimed.  She ran forward, her arms opened wide.

            And, as he had been in the past, he responded naturally to her, and his arms opened to wrap the long gone Quartermaine into a strong embrace.

            "Idiots," Rinoa muttered under her breath.  With a cross look on her face, Rinoa marched into the suite, and firmly closed the door behind her.  "Emily, you promised me you would stay inconspicuous and quiet.  Do you think shouting Zander's name in a hotel hallway is a good way to stay hidden?"

            "Rinoa!" Skye growled.  She jabbed an accusing finger at Rinoa.  "Why the Hell did you bring Emily back?  She was supposed to stay away from Port Charles!"

            "I'm so sorry," Emily cried.  "I never meant to hurt you, Zander.  I'm not in love with anyone else, Zander.  I never was, Zander.  There was never anyone but you."  She had lied to him, did what she could to hurt him for hurting her brother and taking away his son.  They had both hurt each other, but all that didn't seem too important anymore.  Time had healed the hurt and pain they had put each other through, but Time had not been strong enough to erase their love for each other.

            Since Emily had left, Zander had never felt whole.  He had accepted Sonny's orders about watching over Carly, and, in time, in the most superficial of ways, thoughts of Carly had replaced thoughts of Emily.  But now that Emily returned…

            "You're walking," Zander said in a choked voice.  He smiled proudly at Emily.  "I knew you would walk again.  I knew you would beat it."

            "No, no, no!" Skye ranted at Rinoa.  "What were you thinking?  Do you have any idea what Sorel's, Roscoe's, men would do to Emily, regardless that she's my sister?  How could you bring her back?"

            "I told her," Rinoa retorted.  "And that only made her more determined to come back and help you."

            "This is crazy, this is insane," Skye growled.  She could literally hear all her hard-thought plans unraveling.

            Zander's hand cupped Emily's cheeks.  "I missed you so much," Zander whispered tenderly.

            "Rebecca?  Zander?" Michael asked softly, tentatively.  "What's going on?"

            Rinoa sighed.  Arguing with a raging Skye wasn't going to get her anywhere.  Rinoa squatted down to her knees.  She'd prefer talking to a kid than to a furious Skye.  "Hi, I'm Rinoa.  What's your name?"  For that matter, who was Rebecca?

            Zander unwillingly pulled away from Emily.  But he never let go of her.  His hands fell from her face down to her hands.  He didn't want to let go of her, he didn't want to risk the chance that she would disappear from his life again.  "Emily, your sister has lost her mind.  She's allied herself with Sorel's people, and they had Michael, Carly's son, kidnapped and then they staged his death to trick everyone into believing he had died."

            "He's AJ's son?" Rinoa gasped.  Carly only had one child, and this child was the one she had with AJ.

            "I did not kidnap him," Skye denied vehemently.  "If you would just listen to me and let me explain what happened-"

            "Rebecca didn't kidnap me," Michael said quickly, supporting his angel of darkness.  His eyes flared with anger, creating a striking likeness to his biological father.  "She's the one who cut the ropes off me and took me here away from the bad people."

            "And now she's confused him with her lies," Zander said loudly.

            "I did not do anything like that!" Skye exclaimed indignantly.  "All I did was save the boy!"

            Emily tenderly turned Zander's face so that he looked at her only.  "Skye is telling the truth, Zander.  Please, listen to her and what she has to say."

            "Emily, you're not, you can't… you don't believe Skye, do you?  You know Skye, Emily.  All she does is lie," Zander said desperately.  His life was finally coming back together, and he wanted it to stay that way.  He wanted Emily to stay with him, he wanted to return Michael to his mother, and he wanted to take away the pain that Carly and Sonny were in.

            "That's not true," Emily said resolutely, a similar fire burning in her eyes the way Michael's eyes shone.  "Have you forgotten all that Skye did for us?"

            If Skye was Scarlett, then Emily was Melanie.

            "Did you forget that she was the only one who tried to help us stay together?" Emily demanded.  Despite the harsh and accusing words, the love and closeness she shared with Zander never wavered.  "What?  Did everyone in Port Charles convince you she was evil?  Was it Grandfather or Mom or… or Carly?  Who was it, Zander?  Who made you forget that Skye had been the one who supported us and helped us stay together?  Who was it that made you forget how she never betrayed us?"

            "Skye helped us because she had her own agenda," Zander reminded Emily. 

            "She didn't try to hurt us.  Yeah, maybe she did want me gone so that she could have Dad to herself," Emily admitted.  "But she didn't have to help us.  She didn't have to do anything to help us, but she gave us money, when **we** asked her, she gave us a way out, she gave us everything we needed."

            "Look," Skye said sharply.  "We can stand here all day and argue about my past intentions, or we can actually try do something about this situation."

            "Good idea," Zander retorted.  "I'll go and call Sonny."

            "No!" Michael shouted.

            "You call Sonny," Emily warned, her voice hard with an edge of steel, "and I won't forgive you, not ever."  As it was, she shouldn't even have forgiven him for what he had done to AJ.  Or, allowed done to AJ.

            Rinoa watched silently; she was trying to fit together the pieces of every character's role in this play.

            "Please listen to me," Skye said quietly, sincerely.  "Please don't call Sonny.  Listen to me first, and then make your decision."

            Zander's fingers brushed temptingly over his cell phone.  He owed Sonny so much.  Sonny had been the only one who had believed in him, the only one who had given him a chance.  Well, besides Emily.  And to her he owed a lot, especially his love and loyalty.  "I'm listening," he said grudgingly.

            Maybe Emily's arrival into Port Charles had been a blessing.  "I wasn't the one who kidnapped Michael.  Roscoe was.  He did it without my knowing, and without my consent.  When I found out, I was horrified.  Michael, he was… he was all tied up, and he couldn't move, and he couldn't see or hear or talk," Skye said, her voice cracking.  This was something that she was much too familiar with, but that had been her past, something she had buried long ago.

            "Yeah, they tied me up," Michael said, his face wrinkling with fear.  "I was so scared, Zander, but then Rebecca came and cut me loose and took me here away from the bad guys."

            "Rebecca?" Zander repeated.  He looked accusingly at Skye.  This was yet another lie she had created.

            "I- I couldn't tell him my real name," Skye admitted.  She looked apologetically towards Michael.  "I'm sorry, Michael, but, I was scared your mommy told you about me, Skye, and that you wouldn't trust me."

            The name Skye didn't make Michael flinch.  It hadn't made him flinch this entire night, and thus it was obvious he knew nothing of the name.

            "So I said my name was Rebecca."  She chose not to give the reason on why she had chosen the name, though, that Rebecca would have been her name had she never been kidnapped and that was why it had seemed so fitting to use the name then.  "I convinced Roscoe that if he kept Michael tied up, my nep-… he would become scarred, both physically and mentally.  I convinced him to let me take Michael somewhere safe, to keep him there until Sonny was, well… you know," Skye hesitated.  She didn't want to admit to Michael that she had been a part of a vendetta against Sonny and his ex-wife. 

            "This was that night you came over to my room," Rinoa realized aloud.  "This was it, wasn't it, Skye?"

            Skye nodded.  "I took Michael away from Roscoe, and we came here.  I snuck him in, and, just in case, got a new suite for the two of us.  After he fell asleep, I ran over to Rinoa's and asked her to deliver a letter to Emily."

            Skye bit her lip.  "The only person I trusted with Michael, the only person I trusted could take care of him, was you, Zander.  But I knew you wouldn't agree to help me unless someone like Emily asked you to."

            "Rinoa told me what Skye had gotten herself involved in," Emily spoke up softly.  "And I knew I had to come back to Port Charles to help her, Zander, just like how she tried to help us in the past."

            Zander looked away.  He knew Skye was gifted in the field of lying, and right now he couldn't detect any trace of insincerity in her voice.  Was she telling the truth?

            "I don't trust Roscoe, not one bit," Skye confessed.  "He killed an innocent kid so that he could trick everyone into believing Michael was dead.  I didn't approve of that, or of the kidnapping.  Roscoe hates Sonny, and he hates everyone who is related to Sonny.  I had to get Michael away from him.  Michael has to get out of Port Charles, period, to be safe.  And that's where you come in, Zander."

            "You want me to take Michael away?"

            "Yes!" Skye replied instantly.  "The two of you know each other.  You guys are friends.  You'll do anything to protect him, right?  Sonny loves him like a son, and he's Carly's child.  You'd lay your life to protect him, wouldn't you, Zander?"

            "And if you wouldn't lay your life down for him or agree to help Skye," Emily added quickly, "would you do it for me?"

            "Emily?" Skye asked, confused.  "You don't play into this at all, Emily.   You're supposed to be rehabilitating at the center."

            Emily gestured at her legs.  "Well, as you can see, I'm done rehabilitating."  She turned back to Zander.  "Whether or not you agree to do it, I'm going to do it.  I'm going to help Skye, and I'm going to take Michael away to safety.  Well, that's if Michael lets me.  So what do you say, Michael?"

            "I didn't ask you to take Michael away," Skye interrupted.  "I don't want you getting involved, Emily."

            "Too late," Emily said with a small shrug.  "You helped me and Zander when we needed it, Skye, and I'm going to return the favor.  So, Michael, it's your call.  Are you going to trust me?"

            Michael looked uncertainly at Skye and Zander.  They seemed to trust her.  Heck, they both seemed as if they needed her.  "Yes."

            "This is crazy," Skye announced.  "Emily, you're not exactly the type of person I'd want to play the role of protector."

            "Because I don't know how to fight and I'm not exactly street smart?" Emily asked.  "I agree.  But Michael is better off with me than with no one."

            "Well, here's an idea," Zander interrupted.  "What if he went back to Carly and Sonny?"

            "No!" Michael said vehemently.  "Then the bad people will hurt them."

            "If Roscoe finds out I betrayed him and sent Michael back to Sonny," Skye told them, a frantic note in her voice, "then he'll come after us all.  He'll go after Courtney, he'll go after AJ, he'll come after all the Quartermaines and he'll still come after Sonny. What would be the point in sending Michael back to Sonny now?"

            "Because that's where he belongs."

            "I don't want to go back," Michael said with great resolution.  "Rebecca, I mean Skye, said that if I go back, people would get hurt."

            "Skye was lying," Zander replied.

            "No she wasn't," Michael said stubbornly.

            "Then she was mistaken," Zander changed.

            "No, she wasn't," Emily shook her head.  "Look, Zander, if you don't want to help Skye, then, fine don't.  But I will."  Emily stooped down so that she was at face level with Michael.  "Where would you want to go, Michael?"

            Rinoa massaged her tongue with the upper row of her teeth.  Maybe she should come forth with her Cassadine connections now.  That could easily solve the problem.  But then, that would admit that she had power, and that she had been raised by the Cassadines, and that was something no one could find out… yet.  "Why can't we just have Roscoe put away for kidnapping?" Rinoa asked.  "Isn't that a federal offense or something?"

            "Yeah, there, prison," Zander pounced on Rinoa's words.  "Problem solved, and Michael can go back home."

            "No, problem unsolved," Skye retorted.  "Roscoe goes in prison, another of his men strike out at us.  We need all of them to be put away in prison, and permanently without any chance of bail."

            "That's true," Rinoa commented.  She'd prefer them dead than permanently locked away, though.  She wouldn't want to chance them breaking out of prison and retaliating against them.

            "And how are we going to put them away in prison?" Zander asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

            "I've taken steps to ensure imprisonment," Skye said vaguely.  She and Chris Stamp would be working together now, and, with her assistance, Roscoe and the remained of Roscoe's men should be sent away for good.  "I've worked a deal out with a federal agent."

            Rinoa studied Skye's posture and facial expressions carefully.  Was she lying?  Was she misleading them?

            "What federal agent?" Zander demanded suspiciously.

            "None of your business.  The less anyone knows about it, the better."

            "Zander, if you're set on not going, and if you're set on calling Sonny," Emily said sadly, "then go ahead.  Go and call.  I _dare_ you."

            "I second that," Rinoa added.  "Make your choice already, Zander.  I'm not going to waste my breath trying to reason with you."

            "Don't call him," Michael pleaded.

            Skye watched Zander silently.  Rinoa, Emily, she, and Michael stood against him.  He was seriously outnumbered, but that didn't matter.  He had a say in this, and if he decided to call and tell Sonny, well, then, there was nothing they could do about it.

            Zander shook his head, sighing.  He really had no choice.  He dialed Sonny's number.

*******

Later… 

_Skye's new suite…_

            Zander stood awkwardly in front of Skye.  She had once been his savior, the one who had seemingly selflessly sacrificed herself to help him and Emily.  It was for this, Emily, and Michael that he was agreeing to go along with the plan.  "Sonny's going to have other men following Courtney and AJ around now.  If Sonny ever tries to snatch Courtney away, that means that the showdown is about to begin," Zander informed Skye.  "When that happens, get as far away as you can from Roscoe."

            "I won't be anywhere near him," Skye promised.  "But that might never happen.  If I can just get some more information on Roscoe for the agents, then we're in the clear."

            Zander rubbed his neck with his right hand.  "I told Sonny that Emily was in trouble and needed me," Zander admitted to Skye.  "He won't suspect a thing."

            "And Rinoa's going to make sure no one finds out that Emily left the center," Skye said softly.  "So yours and Emily's escape should work fine.  You've got the alibis, the money, and the means."

            "The money and the means?"

            "I have a bank account open for you," Skye said softly.  "Bank of America.  There's a million in the account, and you can access it anytime you want, anywhere.  I gave Emily an envelope with several thousand in cash, just in case you need it.  And the suitcase she's carrying has three hundred thousand."

            Zander nodded curtly.  Skye meant business.  She wasn't leaving much to chance, and was ensuring that his trip with Emily and Michael would be well funded.  "And the means?  The transportation?"

            "Use the money to buy whatever car you, Emily and Michael want," Skye replied softly.  "If you guys get tired of running, then go to Pine Valley in Pennsylvania and look for a man named Adam Chandler.  Have him contact me and I'll vouch for you two, and I'll tell him to take care of you guys."

            Zander nodded.  He looked to the side, and was greeted by the sight of the briefly reunited sisters sharing a tight hug.  "Soon as everything settles here, we're coming back.  And Michael's going straight back to Carly."

            Skye nodded unwillingly.  Zander hadn't been willing to discuss joint custody, despite the fact that she had saved Michael from Roscoe.  "Agreed.  Just remember that, for now, no one, not Sonny or Carly, can know he's with you and Emily.  They might say something or do something to stir suspicion in Roscoe, and then Roscoe will come after us all in a flash."

            Zander nodded.  It was going to be difficult to keep such a secret from Sonny and Carly, but, for Emily's sake, he was going to have to.

            Skye gave Zander a half smile.  "You take care of Michael and Emily, okay, Zander?  I've grown fond of the little guy, and, well, Emily's, you know, Emily.  Hurt her, and all the Quartermaines, me included, will come after you."

            "Got it," Zander nodded.

*******

Later… 

            And so, the past had been revisited.  Instead of two people running away this time, however, there were three.  Like the time before, the trip had been funded by Skye Chandler Quartermaine.  Like the time before, Roscoe and his men were the threatening enemies.

            But, unlike last time, no bus crashed into them, and no bus crippled their plans.  The three left Port Charles safely, with no one the wiser what road they had elected to take.

            Rinoa crossed her legs and reclined backwards in her chair.  Skye had refused to tell her anything more than what she had said to Zander and Emily, and Rinoa was still in the dark about the federal agents business.  But one thing she did know was that Skye was in charge, and, now that Michael and Emily and Zander were gone, she seemed back in control, with minimal worry.

            And that was good enough for Rinoa.  She didn't have the time to get involved with Skye's business, and she trusted that Skye would turn to her if she needed the assistance, especially since Rinoa now knew so much about it.

            No, Rinoa's time was better spent on better things, like protecting her beloved little brother from all those who would hurt him.


	13. Chapter 12: Clandestine Cassadine

Chapter 12: Clandestine Cassadine Llanview… Ben and Viki's… 

_9 am…_

            Skye put down the cup of tea Ben had offered to her.  She had already spent too much time talking with her ex-husband and asking him how he and his wife Viki were doing.  As much as she would like to pretend that this was nothing more than social call, the truth was that it wasn't.  She was here on a lie, a masquerade, so grand that although many knew of it, only she knew the complete truth.

            Roscoe thought she was here on business.  Her family back in Port Charles thought she had either left for a business trip, or to run an errand for Roscoe.  Rinoa thought Skye had left because her friends in Llanview needed her help.  Emily and Zander knew that Skye had gone to great trouble to fund their trip, but they had no idea how she had gotten the money, and that she had to replace the money quickly before anyone discovered the huge sum of money missing from ELQ accounts.

            Only Skye knew the truth.  Only Skye knew that she was here in Llanview to seek the assistance from two old, but rich, friends: Ben Davidson and Max Holden.  They were her only two chances here in Llanview.  If they turned her down, she would have no choice but to go to Pine Valley and ask the Chandlers for help.  And that was something she was trying to avoid- she didn't want to chance bringing Roscoe's attention back to the residents of Pine Valley, as Proteus supposedly had been taken care of, and she didn't want to be forced to ask Adam for help.

"Ben," Skye started softly, but with an urgent note in her voice, "I need your help."             Ben looked worriedly at Skye.  Jax and Rae had already been over, and they had informed Ben of Skye's current connections to the mafia.  And, with his own past to the mafia, and Skye's knowledge of it, he would have hoped that she would have known better.  But he couldn't admit to her that he knew what sort of trouble she was in.  He couldn't admit to her that Jax and Rae were digging into her past.  "What's wrong?" 

            "I, uh," Skye hesitated.  She couldn't tell him what kind of a mess she was in.  But she did have to tell him that she was in a huge mess.  "I made a bad decision.  Several bad decisions, actually.  And, uh, I've been trying to fix them, but… to fix them I had to borrow a lot of money.  And I need to pay it back."

            Was this where the mob came in?  Jax and Rae had been very vague about it.

            "And you want me to give you the money?"

            "Not _give_," Skye corrected.  "Lend.  Even loan, Ben.  I'm willing to pay interest."

            Borrowing money from the mob was never a good idea.  "How much do you need?"

            "Two million," Skye smiled lightly.  "That's all."

            Ten thousand, sure.  He even could have given her up to a hundred thousand.  But two million?  Ben stared in silence at Skye.  He scratched his head.  Two million dollars.  There was no way he could get that sort of money to her.  "That's out of my league," Ben said regretfully.  "I'd help you, Skye, in a heartbeat, if I could.  But I just don't have access to that kind of money."

            But he was Asa Buchanan's son.  He was entitled to his own fortune, if only he accepted his heritage and bloodline.  And he was married to Viki, a wealthy woman in her own right.

            But if Ben wasn't willing to go to these sources, the she wasn't going to ask him to.

            Ben looked down at his hands.  "You've got good credit, right, Skye?  Why don't you just go to the bank and get a loan?  I'm sure you'll be approved."

            But then there would be a paper trail.  And Roscoe would be suspicious.  Edward might find out she had stolen from ELQ.  And she'd lose everything.  She couldn't admit to anyone, not Roscoe or any of the Quartermaines, about how she had given Emily, Zander, and Michael the stolen ELQ funds.

"It's complicated," Skye said, crestfallenly.  Ben had been her top choice to obtain the loan from.  "I do need the money, Ben, but I can't ask the bank for it."

            "Why not?"

            "Because I can't," Skye said shortly.  Ben may have turned her down, but there was still one other person in Llanview she could ask: Max Holden.  And, unlike Ben, Max actually liked and wanted to be the Buchanan heir.

*******

General Hospital… 

            Rinoa smiled winningly at the nurse in front of her.  "Thank you so much," Rinoa said warmly, her dark brown eyes glowing.

            "No, thank _you_," the nurse replied.  "There can never be too much donated blood, you know?  Every little bit helps, Ms. Lockhart."  And the fact that Rinoa was the daughter of Monica Quartermaine, a respected doctor at the hospital, was an additional bonus. None of the other Quartermaine children, save for the long departed Jason, had ever shown any interest in the hospital.

            Rinoa patted the bandage on her elbow.  "Well, just doing what little I can to help the world," Rinoa said with great humility.

More importantly, she now had all the information she needed.  There was ample blood supply, of all blood types, at the hospital, and, in the unlikely chance that Courtney got into a critical life-endangering accident, she shouldn't have any problems recovering.  Both Quartermaine doctors were working tonight, and Courtney would be in more than capable hands if anything went wrong with Rinoa's plan.

*******

Llanview… Crossroads… 

_Skye: She must've been feeling pretty bad._

Cristian: How do you know? 

_Skye: Because she didn't feel any better until she passed out._

_Cristian: You saved her life, you know._

_Skye: She saved mine.  I was about to take a drink.  I hope she comes out okay._

            Cristian Vega and Jennifer Rappaport had nothing but praises when speaking of Skye Chandler.

            "We never met until that night," Jen informed Jax.  "We just ran in different circles."  Besides that, Skye was a good amount of years older than the below drinking age Jen.  

            "She saved Jen's life," Cristian added thoughtfully.  "But when we tried to thank her for it, she always returned the appreciation right back to us, and said that **Jen** saved her, because she had been thinking about drinking again."

_Skye: I was trying to wreck my life but your friend made me realize how much better it was to save it._

            She had admitted to him on New Year's that she had once had a drinking problem.  But she had beaten it, and was now a recovering alcoholic.  The residents in Pine Valley had known that Skye had beaten the problem, but, apparently, after leaving Pine Valley, Skye had been seriously tempted to return to the bottle.

            And, according to Rae, Cristian, and Jen, Skye's temptation to start drinking again had been exactly after she found out she had been adopted into the Chandler family, and that she was the daughter of a woman she despised.

            Jen bit her lip hesitantly.  Rae had assured them that this man wasn't digging into Skye's past to hurt her, and that Jax was actually trying to help Skye.  And Skye was the reason why she, Jen, was alive today.  "I have a… friend, I guess, named Al.  His father knew Skye really well.  I could introduce you to Al, and he can introduce you to his father."

*******

General Hospital… 

_11 am…_

Rinoa turned the page of the magazine she had been reading.  In all appearances, she was doing nothing more than waiting for her mother Doctor Monica Quartermaine.  Her feet patiently tapped to an unheard rhythm against the tiled floor of the hospital.

Although it seemed as if Rinoa was doing nothing more than reading a magazine, that wasn't the case at all.  Rinoa's mind was far and away from the fashion magazine she was holding.  Her eyes, although they occasionally roamed over the contents of the magazine, were not focused on the clothes on the models.  Her mind, instead of being focused on the magazine, was focused on the evening that she was to have that night.  She was going out with AJ and Courtney.

It had been a long while since they had gotten together and hung out.  She, Rinoa, had been too busy helping Skye out with her secret plans.  AJ and Courtney had, on the other hand, been perfectly fine spending their time alone together.  Well, as alone together as two people surrounded by mobsters could be.  Neither Sonny nor Roscoe had lightened the amount of men they had assigned to the couple.  In many ways, both AJ and Courtney felt as if they were a royal couple.

            Carly Corinthos and her son, Michael, had supposedly left on a vacation.  AJ had been livid, but, with Courtney's soothing words, had accepted the fact that Carly had complete custody of Michel and could take him anywhere, anytime, she wanted to.

            With Carly out of the way, Rinoa, AJ, and Courtney were now planning on heading over to Club 101.  Rinoa wanted to open her own rival nightclub and, in the process, steal all of Carly's business from her.  But, first, Rinoa needed some ideas.  She didn't want to steal or use Carly's ideas, but she did want to know the type of people that Carly's club was attracting.  With that information, then, Rinoa could create a club catering to those people's wants and needs.  And, with cheaper pricing on drinks and food, and with additional perks to the club, stealing Carly's patrons shouldn't be too hard.

            Now, that was what Rinoa had been thinking.  She hadn't been thinking about the magazine or the fashions within it.

            Additionally, contrary to what she had told everyone, Doctor Monica Quartermaine was _not_ the person Rinoa was waiting or.  She had told everyone that Monica had been the person she had been waiting for.  But that had just been an excuse, a mask to cover the real reason why Rinoa was at General Hospital.

            An elderly, aged woman sat across the room.  Her hair had not been washed recently, compliments to her current accommodations.  She was seated on a wheelchair, and a muscular man in a dark blue uniform stood cautiously beside her.

            Helena Cassadine was the woman seated in the wheelchair.  A Port Charles police officer was standing protectively over her, and Helena had no choice but to remain inert in her chair.  But her face was anything but still.  Her eyes had been roaming the hospital, and she had spent many hours contemplating the most strategic way of breaking out of prison.  And, until just a few minutes ago, she had been resigned to the fact that she was going to have to do it on her own without assistance from anyone or anything, in any shape or form.

            But then she had saw a familiar face, a face that Helena had never forgotten, but had never had the opportunity to summon.  _Rinoa Cassadine._

            Yes, Rinoa had been raised by people hand-selected by Stavros and Helena.  Rinoa had been raised to believe and stay true to the Cassadine family.  She would not betray her precious grandmother, or allow her grandmother to rot in federal prison, would she?

            Without moving her head, Rinoa's eyes lifted off the page.  She locked gazes with the woman sitting the room.  The corners of her mouth tilted up.  Her mouth opened slowly, but no noise came out.  The importance of the gesture had been the movement, not the noise or lack of.

            _Soon._

            Helena Cassadine easily hid her excitement.  She had an excellent poker face, as any Spencer could attest to.  It was next to impossible to read Helena's thoughts when she wanted to keep them hidden.  On the other hand, it was laughably easy on how simple it was for her to manipulate and confuse her victims into doing exactly what she wanted them to do.

            _Soon._

            Soon, Rinoa had promised to her grandmother, soon, Helena will be free from this prison.

*******

Max Holden's office… 

_3 pm… _

            Max Holden and his son weren't on the best of terms.  In fact, that was a major understatement.  Al and Jen also weren't on the best of terms.  Al had been in love with her, they had been engaged to married, but then she had walked out on their ceremony when the truth about his lying about his inability to walk came out.  She had left him and returned to Cristian, the man she was in love with, and a man who loved her in return.  Despite this, however, Al and Jen remained on talking, albeit awkward, terms.

            And so, here Jax was, in Max Holden's office, about to talk to Max, presumably about business.

            "So what can I do for you?" Max asked.  "My son told me you had some sort of business proposition for me."

            To Jax, the man reeked of slime.  There was something greasy about this man, something slick and completely dislikable.  And this was the man, according to Rae and others in Llanview, whom Skye had obsessed over for several months.  But, in the end, had decided that he was beneath her and that she deserved more.  And that had been followed by Skye's decision to leave Llanview to go to Port Charles to look for her biological father.

            Jax didn't like this man, not in the slightest.  He didn't trust him, and he didn't want Max to know the real reason why he was in Llanview.  "Business," Jax went along with Jen and Al's story.  "Just business."  Jen and Al had warned him that Max's credibility was awfully low, and, Jax's instincts about this man agreed with their assessment.

            Besides, if it really had been Skye that had dumped Max, then he wouldn't be an objective source of information, would he?  This man would only hold bitter memories and recollections.

            What had she seen in him?  What had changed her mind about him?  Jax wasn't planning on bringing Skye's name into the conversation.  For now, he only wanted to get to know Max, to find a reason why Skye possibly could have been interested in him.

            She didn't even knock.  She didn't even bother warning them of her imminent arrival.  She twisted the doorknob, pushed the door open, and, armed with a friendly grin and warm greeting on her mouth, Skye Chandler Quartermaine barged through the office of Max Holden.  "Max!" Skye greeted brightly, her desperation strengthening her charm and warmth.  "Remember me?"

            But then the smile froze, and the jaw dropped in partial surprise and in partial horror.  Her eyes widened, fixated on the one person in the room that she would never have expected to see right then in that instant.  "Jax?!"

            And he was as surprised as she was.  But he couldn't show it to her.  "Miss Chandler Quartermaine," he welcomed her.

            "The two of you know each other?" Max asked, a smirk on his face.  "How interesting."

            But Max's words went unheard and unnoticed.

            "What the Hell are you doing here?" Skye demanded.  "Why in the world are you in Llanview?"  So this was where he had gone for an "indefinite amount of time"?

            "Business," Jax said vaguely.  "Mr. Holden and I were just about to start a business meeting."

            "Business meeting?" Skye echoed, disbelief ringing strongly in her voice.  "What kind of business?"  She glared suspiciously between the two men in the room.

            "It's private," Max answered quickly, but all with a slick smile on his face.  "Mr. Jacks, if you don't mind, I'd like a minute alone with Skye."

            "Why is he really here?" Skye demanded as soon as Jax had left the office.  Her suspicion heavily interlaced with her words.  "What kind of business deal is that man trying to make with you?  Is he really here to talk business?"

            Max sat down on the edge of his desk.  He hadn't expected to see Skye again so suddenly.  It had been, what, about a year since the last time the two of them had spoken.  "So how are you, Skye?"

            "If Jax really wants to do business with you," Skye said scathingly.  "Then I'd have to advise you to think twice before you sign any type of document with him.  The man's ruthless, Max.  He's a corporate raider, and he makes his living out of taking over companies and making them his own."

"Are you speaking from personal experience?" Max asked wryly.

            "Personal," Skye said curtly.  But, in her case, it hadn't been the company that had been lost.  Something more personal, more fragile and precious, had been at stake, and had, in the end, been lost.

            "Interesting," Max smiled toothily.

            Skye frowned.  This wasn't turning out anything like she had hoped and prayed for.  Jax's presence had thrown her completely off balance, and everything she had planned on saying to Max had flown right out the window, replaced only by confused thoughts and angry emotions.

            "Skye?"

            Just what was he doing in Llanview?  Why would he be interested in any of Max's business?  Granted, the man was wealthy, but he was, by no means, a great businessman with a ripe business to take over.  Max and his business were nothing, in the grander scheme of things, and Jax had no real reason to be the slightest bit interested in Max's businesses.

            "Skye?" Max repeated.

            Skye's eyes narrowed in irritation.  Going to Max and asking him for a favor, for a loan of two million, now sounded worse than going to Adam Chandler and asking for the sum.  She had dumped Max, not the other way around.  She didn't want to go back to him and ask for a favor.  If any, he should be coming to her and asking for favors.

            "I just came by to see you and check how you were doing," Skye lied.  "I was in town, and I thought I ought to stop by and check on you.  Especially since, you know, I never had the chance to say goodbye to you last time."

            She'll have to book a flight to Pine Valley the first chance she got.  

*******

Llanview… Outside Max's office… 

            Jax didn't like the message Ben had left on his phone.  He didn't like it at all.  According to Ben, Skye had come to him seeking a huge loan.  She said that she needed the money badly, but she couldn't and wouldn't tell Ben why.  Worse, she absolutely refused to go to the bank to obtain the money.

            It stunk of Roscoe.

            And now, here Skye was talking to Max privately.  Was he her next target, the next person she going to ask this outrageous loan from?

*******

Quartermaine residence… 

_8 pm…_

            He had known it would only be a matter of time.  He had known that it would only take a short while for Skye to screw up, and to prove herself unworthy of being CEO of ELQ.  And, now, with the financial report of ELQ in his hands, he finally had the proof.  Skye, maybe it was Roscoe, was embezzling money from ELQ.  ELQ was missing two million dollars, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.

            Regardless of who did it, whether it be Roscoe or Skye, Skye would be dethroned for this larceny.

*******

Club 101… 

_A little after midnight…_

            "I don't like the atmosphere," Rinoa decided aloud.  "It feels like it wants to be a nightclub, you know, a place where you can dance your heart out.  But it fails miserably.  It's like half nightclub, half coffee shop or something.  The lighting's off, and there's just not enough room to dance or anything."

            "And I don't like the way the tables are practically on the dance floor," Courtney spoke up.  "This place can definitely use more floor space."

            "And don't even get me started on the bartenders," Rinoa fumed.  "I've never met a bartender half as sour as any of those over here."

            "Don't mind them," AJ advised.  "They've all been corrupted by Carly's poison."

            "Meaning, as Sonny has a cult devoted to worshipping him, so does Carly," Courtney said dryly.

            "Well, my club won't have anyone like them," Rinoa swore.  "My club is going to be staffed with the nicest, politest, bartenders.  And they'll all know their drinks, and not one of them will ever have to refer a customer to another bartender because that bartender doesn't know what the requested drink is."

            Courtney hid a smile.  Of the three of them, only Rinoa was drinking alcohol.  Courtney was still under-aged, and AJ was a recovering alcoholic.  "The only thing I really like about this place are the bathrooms, but even the bathrooms can use some work.  In your club, Rinoa, make sure you have lots of full-length mirrors.  I don't think Carly's bathroom had a single one."

            "Full length mirrors, check," Rinoa nodded.  "Any other suggestions?"

*******

Wyndemere… 

_2 am…_

            It had to happen eventually.  It really hadn't been a question of _if_, as Nikolas and Gia had hoped, but _when_.  And, to answer the question of _when_, the time was now.

            They had been eating popcorn, drinking soda, and watching a DVD when it happened.  Liz had been snuggled up on one couch, armed with a pillow and blanket.  Lucky had sat on the floor right in front of the couch Liz occupied.  Sarah had claimed one end of the other couch, with Nikolas and Gia taking the opposite end.  The movie had been Moulin Rouge, and the scene had been the part where Christian, Ewan McGregor's character, had first thought up of the idea of having a secret love song with his one true love, Satine, Nicole Kidman's character.

            And that was when Liz's memory returned.  And it returned with a vengeance.

            She turned away from the screen, her eyes focusing on the royal prince and his fiancée.  They had _lied_ to her.  They had tricked her, confused her, and led her to believe something that had been a lie.

            Her memory had been coming back, albeit slowly.  Talking with lawyers and journaling in her notebook had helped.  And now, with the movie blaring in the background, and Nikolas and Gia cuddled up to each other, as if they were guarding a secret, everything fell into place.

            "Turn off the television," Liz ordered suddenly, her tiny body shaking with rage.  She pushed the blankets off her body and stood up.  "Turn that damned thing off."

*******

Club 101… 

            Rinoa brought her glass of white wine to her lips.  With the glass half-blocking her face, her eyes darted around the room.  AJ and Courtney were dancing, and both of them seemed free of thoughts of anyone else other than each other.  Rinoa put down her glass.  She licked the bottom of her upper lip.

            Stealthily, without attracting any attention, she took out a small white packet from her beaded evening bag.  She kept it tucked under her right thumb, in the center of her palm.  She pulled Courtney's Diet Coke towards her.

            Courtney did say that the Diet Coke tasted too bland.  And she herself had added a few packets of sugar to sweeten the taste.  If any of Sonny's or Roscoe's men were keeping tabs on them, then her dumping a package of a white powdered substance shouldn't arouse any suspicions.  For all they knew, she was a friend trying to help her friend sweeten her drink.

            Rinoa's right hand moved towards the packets of white sugar on the table.  She pretended to pick one up, when, in reality, she hadn't.  The white packet in her hand was the same white packet she had withdrawn from her purse.  Rinoa partially ripped the top part of the package off.  She tilted it on its side and emptied the white substance into the glass of Diet Coke.

            Rinoa dropped the emptied package on top of the other emptied packets of sugar.  She took a gentle hold of Courtney's straw and began stirring its contents.  The powder had a very slight taste to it, but only the most aware tongue would catch it.

            Rinoa picked up a packet of sugar and poured its contents into Courtney's glass.  Now, if someone asked her, she could honestly say that she put sugar in Courtney's drink.

            Rinoa put Courtney's drink back in its rightful place.  She was getting tired of this charade of being a non-Cassadine, a name she happened to be very proud of.  She wanted to announce her birthright, that she was the daughter of a Cassadine, and that she was the sister of Nikolas Cassadine.  But this couldn't be done, not yet at least.  Courtney was still pursuing a court case against Gia, and if Rinoa was going to help Gia by framing Courtney for reckless driving, then Rinoa was going to have to pretend that she had no ties to the Cassadine family.  Well, at least, for now.  If Courtney and AJ knew that she was a Cassadine, they wouldn't be as trusting of her as they were now.

            But as soon as Courtney had another "accident"… An accident that proved she was a bad driver… an accident that "made" Rinoa realize how accidents happen all the time and how precious and short life was…

            No one would suspect Rinoa for framing Courtney.  They had become good friends, and Courtney was Rinoa's brother's girlfriend.  And no one would be suspicious of Rinoa's sudden change in heart and decision to make known her paternity, and her sibling relationship to Nikolas.  If any, only Monica's character would be attacked, for trying to keep Rinoa's father's identity as a secret, and that was something Rinoa was perfectly fine with.

*******

Wyndemere… 

            "Liz," Sarah frowned.  Their grandmother would never approve of the language Liz was using.  "What's wrong?"

            Nikolas picked up the remote control and paused the movie.  "Elizabeth?"

            They had lied to her.  They had both lied to her.  "Judas.  Liar.  Traitor," Liz snarled through clenched teeth.  She glared at Nikolas and Gia.  "Both of you."

            "Liz?" Lucky asked questioningly.  He stood up beside her.  "What are you talking about?"

            Under the blankets, Nikolas squeezed Gia's hand reassuringly.

            "Sonny's sister didn't run the red light," Liz exploded.  "Gia did!  I remember everything, Lucky.  And Courtney is innocent."  Liz jabbed two accusing fingers at the royal couple.  "They lied to me, Lucky.  They lied to everyone.  They told everyone that Courtney ran the light, but she didn't.  Gia did, I'm positive."

            Nikolas rose to his feet, and Gia followed suit.  "Elizabeth, you're getting confused.  And that's exactly what Sonny's lawyers want.  They want you to cast the blame on Gia.  They're just trying to confuse you."

            "Yeah, Elizabeth," Gia agreed.  "If Alexis was running the case, I wouldn't question their tactics.  But, you know, Alexis isn't Courtney's lawyer.  She turned down the position, and let Sonny's other lawyers take it."  Alexis had stood firmly on her ground and had refused to help Sonny and Courtney prosecute her nephew and his fiancée.

            "Don't try to squirm your way out of this one," Liz scoffed.  She crossed her arms angrily in front of her.  "I know what happened.  I remember everything.  Your drinking, our arguing, the song on the radio, you taking your eyes off the road, the red light… everything!"

            Sarah looked suspiciously at Nikolas and Gia.  She had always had her suspicions, but, until now, nothing had seemed definite.  "And Gia didn't even take the blood alcohol test."  Sonny's lawyers were having field day over that missing piece of information.

            "Look," Nikolas said sharply as he raised his right hand angrily, "Gia is not to blame for the incompetence of the staff at General Hospital."

            "Hey, don't even think about blaming us," Sarah retorted.  "We know the procedures, and we know what to do when an accident arises.  You and Gia lied to get out of taking a blood and alcohol test."

            "I can't believe you did this to me," Liz said, outraged.  "To _me_, Nikolas.  I thought we were friends, and that we trusted each other."

            Now wasn't that the pot calling the kettle black?

*******

Club 101… 

_2:30 am…_

            Rinoa could feel the alcohol in her system.  She could feel it running through her veins and all over her body.  There was no way she was would be able to drive tonight.

            And, soon, Courtney wouldn't be in any condition.  She had drunk all of her drink, and very hurriedly, at that.  The dancing had made her thirsty, and the cold Diet Coke, despite its drugged status, had been the perfect solution to her parched throat.

            "AJ," Rinoa mumbled, "I can't drive like this.  I think I drank too much."

            AJ frowned.  He had warned Rinoa that she was drinking too much, but she had ignored his advice and had continued ordering the wine.  It was as if she was trying to drown her sorrows or something.  But, when confronted, Rinoa had adamantly denied against such an idea.  "I agree.  How many glasses did you have anyway?"

            Rinoa shrugged her shoulders weakly. "Too many."  She wasn't so drunk so that she couldn't think logically, or so much that she couldn't recognize that she was drunk.

            "Come on, Rinoa," AJ sighed.  He held a hand out to Rinoa.  "You need to sleep this off."

            Courtney twirled AJ's key ring around her fingers.  AJ was going to drive Rinoa's car, the black Jaguar, back with Rinoa in the passenger seat.  She, Courtney, was to drive AJ's car, his silver Porsche, back to the hotel.

            She didn't feel like calling it a night and going back home.  She felt alive and exhilarated, and she wanted to spend hours more at the club.  But AJ had been worried about his little sister and if men would take advantage of her inebriated state.  And so he had made the decision to take Rinoa home.  And then it had been her choice, Courtney's choice, to follow along.

            But it wasn't as if she really had a choice.  Sonny's and Roscoe's men freaked her out, and she didn't want to chance being alone with them.  For that matter, she didn't want AJ to leave her side.  There was no telling what her brother would do to him if given the chance.

*******

Wyndemere… 

            Nikolas, Gia, and Sarah had all left the room, leaving Lucky and Liz to themselves.  And that was the way Lucky had wanted it.  He needed to speak to Elizabeth alone. 

            "They lied to us," Liz seethed.  It felt like the thousandth time she had said that already.  "After all we've been through together, I can't believe they felt they had to lie to us."

            "We have been through a lot," Lucky agreed quietly.  "And we've all lied to each other at one time or the other."

            "Don't even compare those times," Liz interrupted.  "They were completely different circumstances."

            "You and Nikolas lied to Gia to save me and to protect her.  I lied to you, led you to believe my feelings for you were as strong as ever, to protect you.  And now Nikolas lied to you, and everyone else, to protect Gia.  I don't see much of a difference," Lucky said softly.

            "Courtney," Liz said angrily.  "There's a difference.  Someone completely innocent got involved and took the blame."

            "Was she completely innocent?" Lucky countered.  "From what I heard, she was emotionally distressed that night.  Maybe if she hadn't been upset, she would have seen Gia running the red light, and she could have avoided Gia's car."

            "I can't, I can't believe what I'm hearing from you," Liz stuttered.  "Are actually you taking their side?"

*******

On the road… 

_2:45 am…_

            AJ took a quick glance to his side.  Rinoa was too quiet.

            Her eyes were wide open, and they were trained on AJ's silver Porsche up in front of them.  Her mind was fuzzy, but not too fuzzy so that she couldn't recall what her plan of action had been.  But, it was fuzzy enough to realize that her plans had too many holes in it, and that there were so many possible unforeseen problems that could arise.

            "You okay?" AJ asked, breaking the cloud of silence.  "Do you feel sick?  Do you want me to pull over?"

            What if Courtney ended up driving into innocent bystanders?  What if she ended up killing someone?  What if Courtney died?  There was no guarantee that the ample supply of blood or the skills of the doctors at General Hospital could save her, let alone anyone else caught in the accident.  The plan had been for Courtney to drive her car into a streetlight or a telephone pole.  And there were so many of them from Club 101 to Port Charles Hotel.  And there were so many turns that had to be made, that in Courtney's drugged state, she was bound to have an accident, right?  And no one else had to be involved.  And it was so late in night that there shouldn't be any cars traveling around or innocent bystanders littering the street.

            But what if…

            "AJ, I just want to get home," Rinoa urged.  Courtney was speeding in AJ's car, and she and AJ were beginning to lose sight of Courtney's car.  "Can't we go a little faster?"

            Rinoa didn't have to ask twice.  AJ stepped down on the gas pedal.  He pushed it gently, so that the Jaguar didn't pick up too much speed too quickly.  He didn't want to make any sudden movement and cause Rinoa to go ill.  But, like Rinoa, he was worried about Courtney's driving.  She was going over sixty, for sure, and she was picking up speed.

*******

On the road… 

            Sarah was back in Wyndemere, waiting for the chance to speak to her sister.  Lucky and Liz had been left alone to discuss the situation.  And Nikolas and Gia had decided that they needed some time alone, by themselves, and away from the mess that was threatening to explode in their faces.  Nikolas had suggested driving through the streets of Port Charles, and Gia had readily agreed.  

            Gia clenched her hands tightly against each other.  "Do you think Lucky's trying to get Liz to help us, or do you think he's also against us?"

            Nikolas sighed.  Lucky was his brother, or, half-brother, and the two of them had been through some rough times.  And, although Lucky hadn't admitted it, he must have long ago realized that Nikolas and Gia had been hiding something.  But, even then, he hadn't called them on it.  He hadn't confronted them or asked them for the truth.  "I think," Nikolas hesitated, "that Lucky is on our side."

            "You think or you hope?" Gia sighed.

*******

Wyndemere… 

            "I'm not going to stand against them," Lucky said softly.  "Liz, they're our friends."

            "Exactly.  They're supposed to be our friends.  But look at what they did to us, to me!  I almost died, Lucky, and Gia couldn't even accept the responsibility," Liz said angrily, her eyes flashing.

            "There would be no point in pursuing this," Lucky said somberly.

            "No point?" Liz echoed.  "You do know, don't you, that there's going to be a trial, and I'm going to be called up as a witness?  Do you just expect me to continue to lie?"

            "You lied to protect me," Lucky reminded Liz again.  "And Gia did get hurt in it, much more than Nikolas and Gia's lie hurt Courtney or you.  Courtney only got a slap in the wrist, and a small fine.  If you ask, I'm sure Nikolas and Gia will do all they can to make sure Courtney doesn't get in any more trouble."

            "How can you say that it didn't hurt me?" Liz demanded.  "My friends lied to me, and you expect that it didn't hurt me?"

            "You and Nikolas lied to Gia, and the two of you broke her heart.  Which one of your lies hurt the other more?" Lucky asked gently.  "I'm not condoning what Nikolas and Gia did, but Liz, I really don't see why you'd want to come forward with this.  Just leave it alone."

            "And lie in court, under oath," Liz said bitterly.

            "They're our friends, Liz.  If the truth came out at this point, and everyone found out that Nikolas and Gia tampered with witnesses and gave false testimony…" Lucky shook his head.  "There's no point in going through all that, Liz."

            "You don't see the point?" Liz asked accusingly.  "Of course you don't.  Because you're not in love with me anymore.  And you can't see why something like this would hurt me so much."

*******

On the roads… 3 am… 

            The streets were deserted, for the most part.  The only cars traveling at this hour should belong to people going home from a party or from a fun night out on the town.  In one particular section of town, that had been the case for four of the cars.  They were headed towards Port Charles Hotel, coming from the direction of Club 101.

            But there was a fifth car, a red BMW convertible, in the area.  This car belonged to a couple who were, in every sense, just driving around without direction or purpose.  There had been a fight, an argument, in their home, and they had left so that, hopefully, everyone could cool down.  Neither people in the car had felt like being in a crowd, so they had elected to drive around town, and enjoy the presence of the other in the car.

            Five cars, a fated night.

            The first driver, in a silver Porsche, whose driving skills had been impaired by a planted drug, was speeding crazily and making wide turns, and often impeded on the adjacent lanes.

            A second driver, in a black Jaguar, followed the first car closely, and kept his eyes on the speedometer and wondered what in the world the first driver was doing.

            The third and fourth drivers, who were only doing the job assigned to them, also had thoughts similar to the second driver.  Why were the cars in front of them speeding so crazily?

            All four of these cars had been going in the same direction.

            But the fifth car had been going in the opposite way.

            Rinoa's plan was about to explode in her face.

            From a bird eye's view, the silver Porsche, the one that had been driving recklessly, had complete blame.  Although the car was small, and it should have cornered perfectly, the driver of the car had been going too fast, and she turned the car wildly, so that it ended up taking the lanes going the opposite direction.

            The red BMW convertible had no choice but to swerve to its left, going directly into the opposing lane.  The driver of the black Jaguar tried to turn away, but both the red BMW and the black Jaguar had been speeding, plus the red BMW had been going down on a downhill slope.  The black Jaguar never had the time to flee from the oncoming car, and the onslaught that promised to follow.  The red BMW smashed into the driver's side of the black Jaguar.

            From behind, the fourth and fifth cars veered to the side, as both drivers tried desperately to avoid the chaos before them.  Luckily, they both escaped unscathed.

            The first car veered to the side, and its driver came tumbling out.  Her blond hair flew in the wind as she scampered down the hill towards the wreck.  Upon reaching the two cars, the red BMW and the black Jaguar, the blond woman screamed out two names.  She fell to her knees, tears gushing out of her eyes, as the intensity of the situation hit home.

            The men in the third and fourth cars came out, and it was obvious that one group wanted to take the blond woman far and away, while the other group wanted to make sure everyone stayed together.

            One group called and reported the accident to Sonny Corinthos.  The other group called and reported it to their leader, Roscoe.  In a few minutes, everyone that needed to be notified would be notified.  The ambulance and the police would come.  And a family member, now running a desperate errand to amass funds, would soon find out.  And, when that happened, everything would become secondary, secondary to the well-being of the man she called her brother, and to the woman she has come to consider her as her sister.

            From a bird eye's view, the accident had been completely the blond woman's fault.


End file.
